Two Thousand Times A Day
by IndianSummer
Summary: Five years after graduation, the core five are drawn back to Tree Hill following a tragedy. They think they've grown up, that they're past the high school drama. But sometimes, the past is hard to let go of. All ships right now.
1. Chapter 1

Author: Summer

Rating: PG-13 for now

Pairings: Everyone at this point. Some Leyton, some Brucas, some Naley and everything in between. None of the couples are together at the beginning, but there's obvious tension.

Summary: Five years after they left Tree Hill High, the core five are drawn back to the small town they grew up in by tragedy. They've grown up, but can they really leave the past behind them, or are they destined to relive the same friendship and relationship struggles all over again?

Spoilers: Through season 4, with some speculation for season 5.

Disclaimer: I don't own OTH, I'm not profiting from this. All characters are purely fictional and any resemblance in name, appearance, behavior or personality is coincidental. Title based loosely on The Early November's "1000 Times A Day" and some simple math.

-------

Twenty-three year old Brooke Davis kicked the stuck wheel of her carry on in frustration as she tried to get it to roll, groaning after a minute as she realized there was no use. She'd have to carry it out. Glancing down at the over-packed carry on dubiously, she wondered if there was someone she could pay to do the task for her. She'd sent her personal assistant off to the baggage claim carousel to get their luggage, and even though the flight had barely been two hours, Brooke was left exhausted.

It was then that she noticed a familiar face leaning against a pillar near the exit, and in that instant she felt like she was sixteen again. It wasn't a good feeling. Quickly pushing that particular memory from her mind, she dragged her suitcase over with a huff, arching an eyebrow at the blonde man. "Lucas Scott," she greeted him in shock, letting her gaze sweep over his body quickly. "Well, I definitely didn't expect to see you here."

Lucas gave her an uneasy smile, looking over her shoulders for just a second, but it was enough to make Brooke take notice and sigh. Shocker. "So, uh, who are you here for?" she asked after a minute, wondering why she'd assumed he had shown up to get her. She'd always suffered from that particular problem, assuming people were trying to be nice until proven otherwise. She thought she would've learned with him by now, though. "I thought you'd be with…" She trailed off as she spun around to follow his gaze, pursing her lips as she saw the woman his gaze had connected with. "Peyton."

Lucas cleared his throat, finally meeting Brooke's gaze. "Uh, actually, I'm here for both of you," he offered after a minute. "My mom told me your plane got in at about the same time as Peyton's, so I figured I'd give you guys a lift. If you don't mind, I mean."

Brooke paused for a minute, pursing her lips as she glanced back at Peyton. She'd kept in touch with the other girl and Lucas's mom, but she hadn't considered it much of a loss when Lucas naturally fell out of her life. It had taken her a long time to fully recover from everything that had happened in high school, but eventually she'd realized a boy who would continuously come between two best friends wasn't someone she wanted in her life at all. Of course, this realization had also affected her friendship with Peyton, but at least they kept in touch. That was why she was here, after all.

"I guess," she responded after a minute, keeping her voice as good natured as possible. "I have a lot of luggage, though, and plus, I have Paolo, so if there isn't room, I can just call a cab." She found herself secretly hoping he'd agree that a cab was the best option, and had to hide a frown when she noticed he was shaking his head.

"Nah, it's okay. I figured you'd have a lot of luggage so I borrowed Haley's minivan. I never got why you'd need two suitcases for a weekend trip, but-" He broke off as Peyton joined them, his attention instantly diverted toward the other girl.

Brooke just rolled her eyes, not all that surprised. For the first time, though, she didn't find herself jealous, and she was pretty relieved by that. "No PDA 'til we're out of the airport, guys," she told them, waving for Paolo to join them. "If not longer, because that's _so_ high school," she added, almost as an afterthought, before setting off toward the door.

-----

"Hello, this is Ramona Taylor from Tree Hill Integrated Preschool. Is this Mrs. Scott I'm speaking to?"

Haley blinked, a little unprepared for the question. "Ms.," she corrected absentmindedly, staring down at her empty ring finger. She'd worn her wedding ring for so long there was a white line where it had once been, and she was starting to think it would always be there. "And it's James, not Scott. We're divorced." Well, they almost were. She had to get used to saying it eventually.

"Oh… Ms. James. Sorry about that," came the abashed reply. "We- we don't have a note about that. I'm very sorry. I didn't mean-"

"You said you're from the preschool? Is something wrong?" Haley interrupted suddenly, growing concerned. It was Nathan's day to have James, but she couldn't say she was surprised she'd gotten the call.

"Well, uh, actually… he's in the principal's office. He was taken out of class for throwing play-doh at another of the students. Usually we don't call parents over something like this, but since it isn't his first offense, we thought-"

"It isn't his first offense?" Haley asked, shocked. James was usually a good kid when they were out in public. Sure, he had his moments, but he usually reserved them for the privacy of their home.

"No. We thought maybe you could enlighten us a little. So we'd know how to deal with this situation. A lot of the time, children this age will act out in a school setting if there's something going on at home, and we want to do everything we can to help your son adjust."

Haley gulped, growing more concerned. "Well, my husband and I are in the process of divorcing, but we've been careful not to get into that in front of James. We didn't want him dragged into it."

"Have you sat him down and explained what's going on to him?" Ramona asked, and Haley had a feeling the other woman was about to get preachy.

"Well, no, not really. We feel he's too young to understand and getting into the details will just upset him. So we told him Daddy was going to be living somewhere else from now on, but he could see us whenever he wanted, and that Mommy and Daddy still loved him."

There was a long pause on the other end, and then a sigh. "Mrs. Scott- erm, Ms. James- children are miraculous beings. They understand a lot more than we give them credit for most of the time, and they pick up on stuff that a lot of the time we'd rather they didn't. We've dealt with this kind of thing a lot of times, and it almost always helps the child to have his parents sit him down and explain what's going on to him. You don't need to tell him everything, of course, but divorce can be a scary and traumatizing process for a young child. Even more so if they don't fully understand what's happening."

Haley could feel tears coming to her eyes as the other woman spoke, definitely not used to being viewed as anything less than a great mother. Even with all her recent problems with Nathan, he'd never once accused her of making a mistake with their son. She wasn't used to criticism. "Oh. I, uh, I'll speak to my ex about it."

"I think that would do James- and really, everyone involved- a world of good," the woman said, her voice softer now.

Haley nodded, hanging up the phone in shock without saying a goodbye to the woman.

----

After Lucas had dropped her off at her father's, Peyton had set herself to work trying to organize the kitchen, not giving herself time to think. However, that couldn't last all day and by the time 2:00 ticked around, the kitchen was pretty much sparkling, and even though she doubted she'd be able to find half of what she'd moved around, definitely very clean and organized.

To her surprise, the 1964 Comet Caliente she'd driven in high school started with just a few sputters, no doubt a testament to her father driving it once in a while just like he'd claimed. It felt weird to be back in that car, with all the memories it brought back to her. She just sat in the driver's seat for a minute, closing her eyes and reliving her high school years.

"Huh," she mumbled under her breath after a minute, shaking her head as she opened her eyes. "And I almost forgot how much high school sucked." With that, she pulled out of the driveway, barely checking the mirrors to make sure no one was coming. Some things never changed, after all.

It only took her a few minutes to get where she was going, which was a bit strange. Tree Hill had certainly changed since she'd left for Savannah. While the small town charm was still there, it was definitely odd that there was a funeral home right down the street now. Strange, and a little creepy.

The funeral director welcomed her at the door. He was younger than she expected, probably only a few years older than her with shaggy black hair and chocolate eyes. "You must be Peyton Sawyer," he greeted her with an easygoing smile, holding open the door and gesturing for her to enter. "I used to subscribe to your podcast. Sucks what happened, huh?"

Peyton just nodded, a little concerned that this guy knew so much about her when she didn't even know his name. Ever since she'd been torn apart in court the summer after her senior year during the trial of Mark Swan- the man who'd posed as her brother and kidnapped her and Brooke- for posting details of her life on the internet and "attracting" internet stalkers, she'd been wary of those she'd once welcomed into her life. "Yeah… yeah, it does," she mumbled softly.

"Oh, right. I'm Leo, by the way. My dad owns the place. He asked me to help you choose a casket. I'm required by law to let you know you can buy them right from the vendors now, and they're usually cheaper. But obviously they take longer to ship to a place like this, so most people don't bother."

She nodded, following him into the casket display room in silence. "My dad always liked mahogany," she said after a moment, gravitating in the direction of the cherry and mahogany wooden caskets.

"Yeah, well, this one is one of our top sellers. It's called Imperial Mahogany, and the inside's pretty cushiony and pretty, if you're planning an open casket wake or something. And, well, some people like to think of their loved one as being comfortable in their casket, but I'd rather think of them as floatin' on a cloud up there instead of being in the ground with the worms, y'know?"

Peyton blinked and nodded slowly, gulping. "Yeah. I think he'd like this one," she told him after a minute, running her fingers over a knot in the wood. "This won't degrade in the ground, will it?"

"Not for a really long time," Leo responded with a shrug, picking up the price tag. "Just like I thought, it's $3195. We offer a discount, though, so it should come to about $2800. You can charge it all at once, or set up monthly payment plans, or, well, we can usually work something out if you're strapped for cash."

"Monthly payments sounds good," she responded dully, staring at the casket as she tried to imagine her father's lifeless body in it.

"We can set it up over six months, 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, or pretty much anything in between-"

"A year. That's fine," she interrupted, handing him over her credit card and watching him swipe it. She signed for the bill and contract quickly, not bothering to read through it. "Can I go now?"

"Yeah. My dad scheduled an appointment for you at 8 AM to discuss funeral plans. If there's a problem with it, the number's on the business card," Leo responded, handing over the card.

"Thanks," she muttered, grabbing the card and practically bolting from the funeral home, climbing into her car and collapsing into tears as soon as the door was closed behind her.

----

"Rebecca, I'm still his wife, at least for another month or two, so you _have_ to put me through," Haley complained to Nathan's secretary, shaking her head. After James was born, Nathan had decided to go to law school instead of pursuing a career in the NBA to give his son a more stable life. Even though he wasn't even through with school, he'd managed to earn a lucrative position at the Carter, Jensen & Kelly Firm, which had come with a blonde secretary with centerfold proportions. And so had started Nathan and Haley's marital troubles.

"Ms. Scott, I'm sorry but Nathan's in a meeting. There's nothing I can do-"

Haley rolled her eyes, sure the woman was sitting with her feet up on the desk and painting her nails or doing something equally inane. "You can get up and go into the room, Rebecca. Just this once. Tell him it's an emergency with James."

There was a pause and then a heavy sigh, and Haley smiled victoriously. "Fine. Please hold." The elevator music started almost immediately. As deep as Rebecca's distaste for Haley was, Haley knew Rebecca liked her son.

The hold didn't last more than half a minute. "Hales? What's wrong?" Nathan answered, not bothering with pleasantries. "Becky said something was wrong with James."

_Becky._ Haley scowled, glancing down at the white line on her ring finger. "He's in the principal's office, and apparently it isn't the first time! Has his school called you before?"

"That's why you called?" Nathan asked, obviously frustrated. "Haley, I was in the middle of a pretty big meeting. I was about to get Cody Robertson to sign with the Braves for dirt cheap! Do you know what that would've done for my career?"

"Have they called you before?" Haley asked again, ignoring his question. Over the past year and a half, Haley felt like everything Nathan said was about his career or Rebecca, and she certainly didn't appreciate it.

"What? No, they haven't. But he's a kid, Hales. Of course he's gonna get into a little trouble. He's a Scott."

"He's _my_ kid, and the school thinks our divorce is the cause of it."

Silence. Haley waited impatiently for a reply, and it was at least a full minute before one came. "Maybe it is," Nathan finally said, clearing his throat. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it, Hales. James won't be any happier with unhappy parents."

Haley just rolled her eyes, not really surprised that Nathan thought she was trying to trick him into staying married. "Believe me, I want this divorce just as much as you do," she replied, even though she wasn't totally sure it was true. "That's not what I meant. The woman who called said we should sit James down together and explain it to him. What's going on, you know?"

There was another long pause, and then Haley heard Nathan calling Rebecca into the room. "Look, Hales, I gotta go but I'm going to have Rebecca clear my schedule for this evening. Maybe we can do it over dinner?"

Haley sighed, well aware that in Nathan's eyes, the conversation was already over. "Sure, Nathan," she managed to get in before she heard the click. Setting her phone down, she sighed, "It doesn't matter if I had plans for the night or anything."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two.**

----

"Wait, wait, Paolo," Brooke muttered, holding up a hand and waving it in front of her assistant in an attempt to get him to slow down. "We're in the South now, remember? We do things more slowly here," she teased.

Paolo just snickered, shaking his head. "Brooke, you don't do anything slow. _Anything_. Need I remind you of the first time you went out with Lo-"

"No, no, you don't," Brooke replied with a giggle, shaking her head and leaning forward to swat Paolo good-naturedly. "But seriously, you're rushing around way too much. I knew I shouldn't have let you get that extra cup of coffee when we landed."

"We're in a town with _no_ Starbucks!" Paolo protested dramatically, groaning as the severity of his statement hit him. "How did you get me to agree to this, Brooke? What was I thinking?"

"That you could stand to lose another five pounds and a week without double chocolate chip frappucinos might help?" she responded seriously, getting up from the bed she was sitting on and pacing the hotel room. "We seriously need to get this bed situation fixed," she reminded Paolo as she glanced at theking-sized bed. "I love you, Paolo, but not _that_ much."

"Yeah, yeah. I requested two doubles, but I guess none were available. I'll go down and check for cancellations this afternoon while you're out. If there are any, I'll try to get everything moved to the new room and text you with the details so you don't have to worry about any of it, alright?"

"You're a lifesaver," Brooke responded dryly, glancing out the window at the view of the town. "You know, this hotel wasn't ever here the last time I was in Tree Hill."

"Well, you avoided the place like a plague for five and a half years, babe. What were you expecting?"

"I don't know. I guess you never think about places changing while you're gone. I know it's stupid, but-"

"Yeah, yeah. I didn't actually care. What I really want to know about is that boy," Paolo interrupted her, looking up at her with his big, blue eyes. There was something about Paolo that resembled a puppy when he made that face, and she never could hold out for long. He was well aware. "Is he _the_ Lucas?"

Brooke stiffened. Paolo was the only person she'd ever told about Lucas, and she certainly hadn't expected him to remember that conversation. After all, they'd both been so drunk that they'd been kicked out of the bar that night. Besides, it was four years ago. "Yeah. He is," she answered simply after a moment, trying to remember what she'd told him and what he could remember.

"So he's _the_ Lucas of '_I never thought I'd love again or trust again and I don't know if I'll ever get over him?'_" Paolo exclaimed giddily, clapping his hands together. "So, Brooke, did you get over him? Or did seeing him again stir up something?"

Brooke paused, considering his question seriously. "No, it didn't stir up anything," she responded after a minute, smiling a little with relief. Sure, she'd had that tiny moment when she first saw him, but she didn't think it was anything romantic. He'd always be her first love, but that didn't have to mean she'd always be in love with him.

"Good, because I promised to spy for Lorenzo if there's a problem," Paolo told her with a grin, and Brooke couldn't even pretend to be surprised.

"Lucas doesn't even begin to compare to Lorenzo," Brooke replied frankly, her smile widening as she thought about him. "Make sure you tell him I said that."

It was true, too. Where Lucas was finicky and deceitful, Lorenzo was anything but. Brooke felt safe with Lorenzo, and comfortable in a way she'd never felt with Lucas. She'd always been sure she was the only girl for him, and he'd never given her a reason to doubt that.

----

"Lucas is back! Lucas is back! Lucas is back, Ma!"

Lucas grinned as his little sister ran off to announce his arrival to their mother, shaking his head. He'd definitely never be able to sneak up on his mother with Alana around. "Hey, Mom," he greeted her once he'd reached the living room and found her sitting on the couch, leaning down and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "And hey, you," he added, scooping Alana off her feet and giving her a giant bear hug and swinging her around before setting her back down on the ground.

Karen laughed good-naturedly as she watched her children interact, waving a little at Lucas. "Hey. I didn't expect you back so early. I figured you'd spend some time catching up with Peyton and Brooke… or Brooke?" She shrugged, not entirely sure where her son stood with either girl, or where he wanted to stand with them.

"Well, considering Brooke and her boyfriend-slash-personal-assistant jumped out of the van as quickly as they could, and Peyton said she just wanted to be alone, I don't see that working out very well," Lucas responded with a dry laugh, running his fingers through his hair.

"Brooke's boyfriend is here?" Karen asked with surprise, definitely thrown off by that information. "Huh, I knew she was dating someone but I didn't know it was anything serious."

"Yeah, well…" Lucas just shrugged, sitting down next to his mother and pulling Alana up into his lap as she hugged him.

"And Peyton? How's she doing? I meant to call her when I read the obituaries, but I forgot. Maybe I'll call tonight."

"Peyton… she's stronger than she thinks. I think she'll be alright. I was actually planning on going over there tonight, seeing if there's anything I can do. If you want to come, I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Karen had never fully understood Lucas and Peyton's reasons for breaking up- any of the times- and she'd never understood their reasons for getting back together, either. It seemed to be an endless cycle, and it was one that she'd thought the two had broken. Now she wasn't so sure.

"Yeah, Mom, I-" Lucas broke off as he saw the look on his mother's face, sighing. "Peyton and I are over, Mom. For god. I know that now, and obviously she knows it, so I'm just trying to be her friend. I swear."

Karen shrugged, not entirely sure she believed her son but not wanting to tell him otherwise. "Just be careful, Lucas. You've hurt both those girls a lot of times and been hurt by Peyton quite a bit, too, so… I just don't want anyone hurt again. High school's over, and I'd like to see all of you be able to move past that drama and be friends again."

"Yeah, Mom. So would I." The problem, though, was Lucas wasn't sure if he'd ever just been friends with either of them. Not really, at least.

----

A few years ago, Haley had been obsessed with being the perfect little housewife. She'd have James washed up, dinner prepared, and the house clean by the time Nathan got home from work. She'd become more anal about it as time passed and her marriage started to sour, under the mistaken impression that if everything looked good, the rest would work itself out.

Now that she knew that wasn't the case, she didn't bother. She still liked James to be clean, and she still liked to have dinner on the table, but she was perfectly happy with macaroni & cheese instead of cordon bleu. She was fine answering the door in her yoga pants and a tank top with her hair a mess and making Nathan step over coloring books and stuffed animals to get to the kitchen.

"The house looks… great," Nathan said in lieu of a greeting, obviously just trying to be polite. They'd become overly polite to one another since deciding things weren't going to work, in that awkward manner of civility to cover up your feelings.

"Thanks," she responded dully, kneeling down to give James a hug as he followed Nathan into the house. "I missed you today, baby," she greeted her son, giving him a kiss on the crown of his head before gesturing for him to go sit at the table. "Your dad and I need to talk for a minute. Go sit down."

Nathan watched James run toward his seat in the kitchen before leaning against the doorframe and studying Haley. "So, uh, how do we handle this?" he asked after a minute, glancing over her shoulder at James.

"I was hoping you had an idea," she admitted softly, taking a deep breath. "I guess we just tell him what we think he can handle and a little more. Apparently kids are more observant and smarter and can handle more than we assume."

"Uh, alright," Nathan responded with a shrug, starting in and sitting down across from James. Haley paused for a minute, a little thrown off by how naturally Nathan had taken his old seat. It almost looked normal.

She shook off the thought quickly, going in and sitting down next to James like she'd taken to doing over the past few years. First, it had been to feed him, and then to make sure he didn't choke, and then it was to distance herself from Nathan. Funny how things worked out.

It was Nathan who first spoke, and Haley was pretty relieved. "Hey, buddy. Your mom and I wanted to talk to you a little about what's going on with us. We wanted to make sure you understood."

Haley nodded, turning a little to look at James. "Yeah…" She glanced up at Nathan, gulping as she continued. "Sometimes things don't work out the way mommies and daddies hope they will. But that doesn't always mean everything has to change. It means mommy and daddy have to find a new way to be happy."

Nathan nodded, giving Haley a small smile. "So what Mommy and Daddy are doing is living apart. We're getting a divorce- so while we'll still be your mommy and daddy and nothing will change in that department, Mommy and Daddy's connection with each other will."

Haley's gaze dropped to the table for a minute as she tried to figure out what to say next, trying to ignore Nathan's gaze on her. This conversation was much harder than she'd expected. While they hadn't talked through it with James, they hadn't really talked about it together, either. "Mommy and Daddy will stay friends, and Mommy and Daddy are going to keep loving you all the same. And Mommy and Daddy will still love each other- just in a different way."

"Mommy and Daddy will always love each other," Nathan confirmed, his gaze locking with Haley's for a second.

----

To say Peyton was surprised to see Lucas when she opened the door would be an understatement… and that was putting it pretty mildly. "Hey," she greeted him after staring for a few seconds, shrugging and stepping aside. "Come in."

She saw him hesitate for a second outside the door before stepping in, and she wondered if things would always be this weird between them. The car ride from the airport had been filled with a stifling silence that had convinced her neither her friendship with Brooke or any type of relationship, be it romantic or friendship, with Lucas would be completely salvageable.

Peyton had done quite a bit of growing up in the past few years, and she definitely wasn't proud of the kind of friend or girlfriend she'd been in the past. Yet it had never occurred to her that some things weren't possible to fix. Until now.

"I figured I'd stop by… see if there was anything I could do for you. I'm not much of a cook- you already know that- and I don't think my writing or basketball talents would be much help, but I don't know. Maybe there's something I could do to help around the house?" He always had been a little on the self-deprecating side, just like Brooke. It made Peyton wonder if there was a reason she'd surrounded herself with people like this, and she was sure the answer wouldn't be pretty.

"Well, uh, I don't have anything I need done, but you're free to come in and stay for a bit. Actually, it feels pretty empty here, so just having another person so I'm not talking to myself… yeah, that sounds good."

Lucas gave her a small smile, and Peyton found herself returning it, somewhat comforted by his presence. Even after everything they'd been through, and even with the awkwardness surrounding them now, there was no denying that Lucas' presence was a comfort.

----

"What do you think about this one?" Brooke asked Paolo nervously, holding a blue evening gown against her body and glancing down at it.

"I think models look like adolescent boys and you need boobs for that dress," Paolo responded dryly, studying Brooke for a minute. They were working on selecting some of the gowns for an upcoming show next month, and it was always a process that left Brooke stressed and ready to pull out her hair.

Quickly agreeing, she tossed the gown onto the bed and picked up another, holding it out to Paolo. "You don't really need boobs to look good in this," she pointed out, biting her bottom lip as she waited for his verdict.

Paolo laughed, shaking his head. "Definitely. We can use that as a slogan, too!" Growing serious as he saw the look Brooke was giving him, he sighed. "Look, you already have most of the selection planned and you're starting to make me uncomfortable with all this nervous energy. Take a break."

Brooke knew protesting was pointless, and she also knew Paolo was right. "Fine. Alright. Let's go get something to eat. I'm starting to get hungry, and I know this great little place."

"Why do I have a feeling I'm in for some small town southern charm?" Paolo asked with a sigh, getting up anyway.

"Because you are," Brooke answered simply, giving him a small smile as she grabbed her cute and shrugged it on. "But don't worry, it's definitely a good kind. I've known the owner for quite a while, and I know you'll like her."

----

"I'm not hungry," Peyton told Lucas for what felt like the hundredth time, and also for the hundredth time, he ignored her comment.

"You'll change your mind once you get the ice cream. Everyone always has room for ice cream," he insisted, reaching out for Peyton's hand without really thinking about it and pulling her into Karen's Cafe. "Do you still like that cookie dough stuff? With butterscotch and fudge?" For some reason, Lucas had been surprised to learn Peyton ad such a sweet tooth when they first started dating.

Peyton lapsed into a sullen silence for a minute, pouting a little as she looked at the menu. "Yeah," she admitted after a minute obviously not happy that Lucas had won this round.

"Then that's what I'm going to get you," Lucas told her, leading her up to the counter. He was still holding her hand, not really thinking about how odd it was given their history. It just felt… natural.

There was a bit of a line, and apparently not even being the owner's son helped. Lucas rocked back and forth on his feet as they waited, finally realizing he was holding Peyton's hand. She hadn't seemed to notice, though, and if she had, she hadn't commented. It was an awkward scenario, especially since he was sure he'd draw more attention to the slipup by pulling his hand away.

So instead, they stood there, hand in hand, with Lucas unable to focus on anything but the feeling of Peyton's hand in his and how it made his skin feel like it was on fire.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three.**

----

"So, uh, thanks for coming," Haley told Nathan quietly at the door after the two had put James to bed. The separation was still new enough to her that it was weird to say goodbye to Nathan when he'd leave the house, to know he wouldn't be staying. She was fine when he wasn't around, but the second he stepped through the front door all the memories came flooding back and it was that much harder to watch him leave again.

Nathan just shrugged, glancing down at Haley and not saying anything for a minute. "He's my son, too," Nathan said finally, glancing over her shoulder in the direction of the stairs, as if trying to see James. "I hope this works. I know I didn't really say anything earlier, but I don't like that he's acting up either, Hales."

Haley nodded, taking a deep breath. "I feel like it's our fault. When that woman called, I felt- No one's ever told me I'm not a great mom before, you know? Even when we'd fight, you never said anything like that, and I just didn't expect it."

"You are a great mom," Nathan replied quickly, giving her a weak smile. "Parents make mistakes, though. If anyone should know that, it's going to be me. But I think James knows we love him, and maybe the talk tonight helped. I guess it makes sense that he needs to understand what's going on around him. I know I used to be confused when my parents argued when I was a kid."

"Yeah, I guess," Haley mumbled, still doubting herself. She'd long ago accepted that it was a part of motherhood, the constant doubting. "Well, uh, I'll see you around," she added, almost as an afterthought. "Call me in the next couple days so I know what your plans for the weekend with James are."

Nathan nodded, meeting Haley's gaze seriously. "I will, Hales. I- I'll see you later."

Haley just gulped and nodded watching him walk away before resting a hand against her stomach and sighing. Somehow she doubted this would ever get any easier.

----

"C'mon, Paolo, when's the last time you had a good sandwich?" Brooke asked her assistant with a grin as she gestured toward Karen's, quickening her pace as she got closer.

Paolo let out a frustrated sigh, shaking his head. "Such a thing doesn't exist, so never," Paolo responded dryly, pausing as he saw the little red awning she was gesturing to. "That's the place? My bedroom is bigger than that! In Boston!"

"Oh, get over yourself. The food's good and you're going to end up liking this place, I know it. You always try to pretend you're some suave city guy but whenever we have business to do in the country, you're always at your happiest."

"That doesn't say much. According to you, I have two moods. Bitchy and bitchier."

"Yeah, true," Brooke giggled, gesturing for him to enter the café with her. "Tell you what. If you aren't impressed by the sandwich, you can have all of tomorrow off. I'm _that_ sure."

"And you're sure these are just sandwiches? Not laced with something? Because the way you're going on about them, I'd swear-"

"Oh, shut up," Brooke laughed, swatting at Paolo playfully. "I already told you, I know the lady who owns this place. She's sweet and she has a little daughter- Alana would be five now, wow. But yeah, Karen isn't the type of person to drug up her food."

"You never know, sometimes it's the soccer moms who are the most dangerous."

"It's a _sandwich_, Paolo," Brooke responded with another laugh, pushing open the door and walking in, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Paolo had finished.

"Alright, fine. I'll try a bite of a sandwich, but if I don't like it you need to take me somewhere with real food. I'm kind of in the mood for Thai tonight. Or maybe Italian, hmm. Actually, I could go for a…"

Paolo continued to talk, but Brooke didn't hear much of what he'd said as her attention was diverted to a couple standing near the counter. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed Peyton standing hand in hand, biting her bottom lip. "Huh," she murmured to herself, not really surprised. She'd sensed it in the ride from the airport.

While Peyton and Brooke had stayed in touch, the girls had fallen into a pretty comfortable habit of not discussing Lucas, so Brooke didn't have a clue what was going on in their relationship. She was mildly surprised they were still together, though. She hadn't really figured either of them for the type to make a commitment.

"Oh, it's the homewrecker again!" Paolo announced as he caught in, and Brooke reached over quickly to cover his mouth, meeting his gaze with threatening eyes.

"Shh!" she demanded, not wanting to have an awkward confrontation in the middle of Karen's. "She's… not a homewrecker. It was a long time ago," she told him vaguely, not really sure how to defend either of them or if she should be. She'd put it behind her, sure, but it didn't mean she approved of what had happened.

She winced as she saw two blonde heads turn in her direction and wave her over, not really in the mood to be an awkward third wheel. Forcing a smile, she muttered between her teeth to Paolo, "We're going to go over there and you're going to be nice. I don't need any extra stress right now, alright?"

Paolo just grinned, walking over to Lucas and Peyton with her. Brooke couldn't help but feel a little worried.

----

It was dark, and very very cold. Nathan leaned against the door of his apartment, pressing his back against it and sliding down against its surface until he was sitting on the floor. He didn't bother to turn on the lights, at least not yet, and he knew there was nothing he could do about the heat. The heater was on its way out, and Nathan had definitely gotten what he paid for with this apartment, which wasn't much.

He knew he needed to start looking for a better place to live. When he'd first found this place, he'd expected to be able to work things out with Haley, and it had never occurred to him he'd be here longer than a week or two.

Six weeks later, he was starting to realize nothing could be further from the truth.

He still didn't totally understand what had happened, really. He'd gotten home from work one afternoon and found a suitcase full of his clothes on the doorstep with a pretty nasty note. Haley had been acting odd the whole week, so he'd just figured it was PMS and she'd get over whatever he'd done to piss her off. That was how it usually worked.

This time had been different, though. He'd been late for work the next morning, having counted on a teary call from Haley so greatly that it hadn't occurred to him he needed to set his alarm clock. He'd driver over to their house that afternoon, and that was the first time Haley had dropped the D word.

Nathan still didn't really get it. He'd been putting in extra hours at the office, sure, and he knew he had his annoying habits like leaving the toilet seat up, but it had never occurred to him that that could be enough for Haley to bandy about terms like divorce and custody.

He finally reached up and flicked on the lights, glancing around the empty apartment. Since he hadn't expected to be here long, and was still having issues admitting otherwise, it was pretty bare. Aside from a full bathroom and a mini-fridge, the only furniture he'd bothered with was a bed and a couch so both he and James had places to sleep.

He didn't like bringing James here, though, so he'd purposely pick up shifts when it was his turn to pick up James. He didn't want his son seeing this place, especially not now that he knew James was already having problems adjusting.

The dinner had hit him hard that night, especially hearing Haley state everything so seriously. It was all real now, no longer something he could ignore.

Pulling himself off the floor, he walked over to the couch, staring down at the papers he'd left there earlier that day. A civil summons to end his marriage. It was sort of ironic, really. Right after he'd hung up the phone with Haley after learning about James' trip to the principal, he'd been served, right in the middle of a law office. Everyone there had known what he was receiving, of course, and he thought he was going to lose it after the tenth pitying expression.

"Damnit," he muttered, shoving the papers out of his way and sitting down with a groan, burying his face in his hands. "Damnit."

----

Lucas shifted uneasily as Brooke and Paolo approached, dropping Peyton's hand immediately as he saw Brooke's eyes drop to their hands. Having the two girls in the same room threw him off much more than he'd expected, and he wasn't really sure what to make of it.

As years go by, you like to think you've grown up, that you've matured, that the things that made you uncomfortable in high school wouldn't make you blink now. It's barely ever all true, though.

"Hey, Brooke. Paolo, right?" he asked, holding his hand out to shake the other guy's. He wasn't sure where this calm exterior was coming from, but he certainly wasn't going to question it. He could feel Peyton's gaze on him, and he steadfastly avoided returning it.

"Yeah, it's Paolo. And you're Lucas- I've heard all about you," Paolo responded, and Lucas wondered if he was imagining the malice in Paolo's tone. Either way, though, he doubted what Brooke had to say about him to the other man had been anything good.

He nodded and smiled uncomfortably, glancing at Brooke. "Oh, really? Well, uh, I doubt _everything_ she told you was the truth."

"I almost hope not," Paolo responded dryly and Lucas suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He tried to search Brooke's gaze for some hint of what she'd told the other man, but she dropped her gaze to the floor.

Lucas let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Yeah, well…" He trailed off, not having a clue what to say. He was relieved when Peyton cut in.

"We were about to order ice cream. You guys should join us. We definitely need to catch up, anyway, right?"

Lucas' gaze fell back to Brooke and he let out a relieved sigh as she nodded slowly. "Yeah," she murmured, glancing up at Paolo as if consulting with him. "We have some time. We can do that."

----

The most maddening part about life in cell block D was that you relived the same day over and over. Today had been the same day as yesterday, and tomorrow would undoubtedly be the same. It made Dan almost wish for a riot or a shanking, something to spice up life and write home about.

He'd taken to writing a lot of letters, actually, but he rarely mailed them. Most were to Karen, or to Nathan or Lucas. He couldn't bring himself to send them. Everything he'd done, he'd done to protect the people he loved, at least until that day in the school. And he knew hearing from him would only hurt them more than they'd already been hurt.

So instead, he spent his time in his 8' by 12' cell writing letters he'd never send. _Dear Karen,_ one started, _I can't put to words how deeply sorry I am for taking Keith from you. I don't expect you to care what I have to say, but-_

And she wouldn't, so that's usually where he'd stop and start over. There was no point in writing a letter he knew wouldn't be read, really. He operated under the futile hope that one day he'd be able to find the perfect words to express his apology, so she'd at least read through the letter instead of tossing it out after the first line.

He was running out of time, though. It had been almost five years since his sentencing, and he'd be eligible for parole. He wasn't so sure he wanted to leave. Life would never be the same, and he knew that his being outside these walls would hurt a lot of people.

His lawyer had been a bulldog, and Dan had spent most of the trial regretting having hired him. He'd fired him twice, but it never seemed to stick. Everyone has a survival instinct, even when they're perfectly aware they don't deserve it. Dan Scott was one such man.

The trial had been a blur to him, really. His lawyer had made a pretty compelling case to phase out all the details, like the fact that Dan had plead guilty in the first place. He'd made a case for Stockholm Syndrome, telling the jury that Dan had been through something so tragic he'd accepted responsibility for something he didn't actually do. The lawyer had told the jury that it was Jimmy Edwards who shot Keith Scott, and that Dan, merely an innocent bystander, had done and said anything it took to survive, and in the process ended up believing it himself.

The jury had fallen for it hook, line and sinker. No one wants to believe that the man they elected to public office could be a cold-blooded murderer, after all.

----

Brooke folded and unfolded her hands nervously as she waited for her sandwich, trying not to think about why she was nervous. She was an adult now, and she had an amazing boyfriend and friends that would never put her through the crap she'd gone through in high school. So why was it that seeing Lucas and Peyton here, together, reduced her to an insecure sixteen year old again?

It had taken her a long time to get over what happened and start trusting people again. It had taken a lot of hard work, and she didn't want it to go down the drain over a one week trip home. She was here to support Peyton, and she could be mature and rise above this.

It was all in the past now, and what mattered was that Peyton's father had died. Even though she hardly considered Peyton her best friend anymore, she still was a friend and one that Brooke had a lot of history with at that. And besides, who was better qualified to help Peyton grieve her father's death than Brooke, since she'd helped her when each of her mothers died as well?

"So, uh, Brooke, how long are you guys in town for?"

Lucas' question startled her from her thoughts and she finally glanced up, realizing all three were staring at her, and it seemed like they'd been doing so for quite some time. "Me?" _Right, because who else is named Brooke here?_ "Oh, um, just a week. I have a big show coming up next month that I have to get back to."

Peyton frowned a little, obviously thinking about something. "The last time we talked… it must have been around Christmas. You were trying to get some new designer to sign with you? Did that go through?"

Brooke took a deep breath; it was odd making small talk with a girl she'd once shared a bed with and told her deepest darkest secrets, and confessed all her insecurities to. "Jiella… yeah, we signed her." Signing Jiella Lowe to her label had been a huge accomplishment for Brooke, and one that had supplemented her income very well, too. She knew it was her turn to carry on the conversation but for the life of her, she couldn't think of anything remotely appropriate to say. "So, um, Lucas… how's your little sister doing?" she asked after a moment when the silence got unbearable.

Lucas cleared his throat, taking a sip of water before answering. "Alana's good. She's really smart and she's a really sweet kid… you should come by some time. I think she'd like you, and obviously my mom does…"

Brooke nodded, not at all sure she wanted to step foot in that house. Coming back here drudged up enough memories, but going there would be like stepping in quicksand. She'd be totally overwhelmed by it all until she felt like she couldn't breathe anymore. "Yeah… if I have a chance while I'm in town, I'll definitely try to visit." Even as she said it, she knew it would probably be a lie.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I wanted to thank all my reviewers, first of all. It's a great motivation to keep writing when I know people are enjoying the story. And specifically, JJC asked for some clarification on the situation with Nathan and Haley. It will become more clear in future chapters and I don't wan to give too much of it away, but a big part of their problem is a lack of communication and that they assume they know each other well enough to know what the other's thinking when they really don't have an idea. And yes, there's definitely an issue of pride on both sides, as well as confusion. In a way, it's like a massive fight of sorts where neither wants to be the first to back down, even though they aren't entirely sure why they're fighting anymore. I hope that clarifies things a little.

**Chapter Four.**

After Nathan had left and she'd double checked to make sure James was actually asleep, Haley had retired to the bedroom she'd once shared with Nathan. It hadn't really changed much since he'd left, and she hadn't washed his pillow covers. Even though she knew it would seem lame to anyone who found out, smelling Nathan on the pillows comforted her while she was trying to get to sleep.

They'd been together so long that she found it difficult to exist on her own. She'd taken it for granted for quite a while that Nathan would always be next to her in bed, that they'd share breakfast every morning as they exchanged newspaper sections.

It was too early for her to go to bed, so instead she turned her attention to updating the scrapbook she'd been keeping for James. She'd recently had pictures developed from a visit to her sister, Taylor's house that she had to add.

Taking a moment to flip through the pages before getting to work, Haley paused on the fourth page, smiling as she saw one of her favorite montages. James was only two and a half months old at the time, and Nathan and Haley had decided to take him camping before college started. The trip had been perfect, especially given that they didn't have a lot of money to toss around for a vacation back then.

Haley ran her fingers over the pictures as she remembered, smiling a little. Her favorite of the photos was a small series of Nathan holding James against his chest as he lied in a hammock, eventually falling asleep like that.

At the time, she'd been incredibly upset with Nathan. They were still new parents back then, so all she could think about was what would've happened if Nathan had dropped James while he was asleep. It hadn't mattered to her back then that he _hadn't_. In her mind, it was all the same.

"_Hales, look, he's perfectly okay. For God's sake, he's asleep. I don't think his life flashed before his eyes or anything."_

_Haley glared at Nathan, glancing down at James for a second. What Nathan was saying was true- their son looked peaceful in his sleep, but that didn't change what she'd witnessed. It didn't change the fact that Nathan had slipped up and it could've cost James his life. "Do you know how dangerous that was? He was just laying on your chest, Nathan! You weren't even holding him! He could've fallen, and then- God, Nathan, his life is too short to even flash before his eyes at this point. It would just be a flicker."_

_Nathan sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "Hales, you know I wouldn't dream of hurting him. But he's okay. I won't fall asleep like that again, I promise. He's okay, Hales…"_

_He moved in to hug her, but Haley pulled away quickly, angrily wiping at a tear starting to fall from the corner of her eye. "What if something **had**_ _happened though, Nathan? He's so little, and while a two foot fall wouldn't be a big deal for us, he's not even two feet tall."_

_Nathan moved quicker this time, pulling her into his arms before she had a chance to duck away, running his fingers through her hair in a comforting gesture. "He's alright, Hales. You're a great mother, alright? And James- James is okay. He's healthy and he's a happy little baby, and he's alright."_

_Haley was tense at first, but Nathan's embrace proved too much for her. She whimpered, burying her face against his chest and letting herself cry. "I'm just so scared, Nathan. He's so small, and I'm scared we're going to mess up, that I'm going to."_

"_I know, Hales. So am I. But we're bound to make mistakes- we just have to try to make them as minor as possible, you know?"_

She sighed, flipping the pages in the scrapbook to the first blank page, shaking her head. There were a lot of things she'd take back now if she could. Unfortunately, life didn't allow rewinds or do-overs.

She slipped the new pictures out of their envelope, flipping through them slowly. The trip to Taylor's had been the last real family outing they'd had. It was only four days before she kicked Nathan out.

She'd thought at the time that she was doing a good job faking happiness, but looking at these pictures it was pretty clear that hadn't been the case. Her smile was tense, and she looked stiff in the picture where Nathan had his arm around her shoulder.

She stared at it for a minute, trying to remember when Nathan's embrace had gone from comforting to unbearable. She couldn't. It had been one of those things that happened gradually, a little at a time. And one morning, she'd woken up realizing there was no use in pretending anymore.

----

Brooke could honestly say she wasn't surprised when Paolo got up to use the bathroom and never returned. He was always telling her she had to face her fears and live up to her past, and while she usually agreed, this really wasn't such a case. Now that it was just her sitting there with Peyton and Lucas, she really felt like a third wheel.

Lucas had done his best to keep her involved in the conversation, though, but she wasn't really sure if that was a good thing. She couldn't exactly politely excuse herself in the middle of a conversation. They'd started reminiscing about high school, though, which definitely made her uncomfortable.

"Even now, some of the best parties I ever went to were in high school," Lucas told the girls, taking a sip of the beer he'd ordered as he glanced around. "Peyton, do you remember that graduation party- I think it was Fergie's- where Junk brought that weird girl from Duke?"

Brooke sighed, glancing down at the table's surface. She hadn't been to that party, of course. Fergie was a friend of Lucas', and she'd already become a nobody to him by that point. She toned out that part of the conversation until something perked her ears.

"Hey, Brooke, do you remember that party our junior year?" Peyton was asking, "It was Haley's first party, and I got into that crazy fight with Nikki-"

"Yeah, I remember," Brooke murmured, taking a deep breath. "Because it was my fault Nikki was there, remember? I wasn't invited because Haley thought my presence would make Lucas uncomfortable."

Silence. After a minute, Lucas cleared his throat and said softly, "Um, yeah, that whole situation was… messy."

Brooke let out a dry laugh, unable to hold it in. "Messy?" She glanced over at Peyton and then looked back to Lucas, biting her lip. "Guys… we're adults. High school… basically sucked. Why don't we put it behind us?"

Peyton agreed quickly, consulting her watch. "Shoot. Guys, I have to get going. I have a meeting with the funeral home early tomorrow and I still have some stuff to take care of before bed, so…" She trailed off with a shrug, standing up and tossing some money on the table. "So, uh, see you guys later."

Brooke arched an eyebrow but didn't say anything, surprised that Peyton and Lucas weren't acting all coupley. Shaking off the thought, she gave Peyton a small wave before turning her attention to Lucas. She definitely didn't want to sit here having a one on one conversation with him. "I should probably go, too…"

Lucas nodded, taking out his wallet and putting some money on the table. "Here, I'll walk you home. I'm headed in that general direction, anyway. I told Nathan I'd go visit him tonight."

Brooke froze, forcing herself to nod as she took out some money to cover her own portion of the food.

"Don't worry about it," Lucas said quickly, gesturing to the cash he'd thrown down already. "I put down more than enough. Plus, I think being the owner's son gives me the privilege of saying it's on the house, anyway."

Brooke nodded, giving him a hesitant smile and pushing out her chair to get up, resigning herself to walking home with him.

----

Upon returning home, Peyton kicked off her shoes and collapsed backwards onto the couch, unable to believe what a rollercoaster her day had been. On a whim, she decided to check the home answering machine to see if the funeral home director or life insurance companies had called, but instead she was greeted to a much more familiar and friendly voice.

"Hey, Peyton, it's me… Jake, if you didn't get that. Uh, I know you're back in Tree Hill, and when I tried your cell phone it was giving me some weird message, so I figured I'd try this number. If it isn't yours now and- oh, God, if I'm leaving a long rambling message on someone else's answering machine, I'm really sorry. See, there's this girl I've known since high school and I'm trying to get in touch with her to let her know I'm thinking about coming up to Tree Hill with my daughter for a visit, but she doesn't really like surprises so I wanted to let her know first, and… yeah, I'm rambling again. So, uh, to Peyton or whoever gets this message, have a good night!"

Peyton laughed as the answering machine beeped, stretching out so she could grab the phone without having to get up. She dialed Jake's number quickly, having memorized it due to all the years she'd been in Savannah, flipping onto her stomach as she waited for someone to answer.

"Hello."

Peyton smiled as she heard Jenny's voice on the other end. "Hey, Jenny, can I talk to your father, please?"

"May I ask who I'm speaking to?" came the polite response, and Peyton had never failed to be amazed by the quiet eight-year-old's manners.

"It's Peyton, Jenny."

"Oh, Peyton!" Jenny's voice sounded almost gleeful, and it definitely made Peyton's smile widen. "Yeah, hold on! I'll go get Daddy right now." Peyton heard the phone drop and little footsteps running off into the distance, and then silence.

A minute later, the phone was picked up again. "Hey, Peyton," came the laidback voice of Jake Jagielski, who'd quickly become Peyton's closest friend down in Savannah.

"Hey, Jake. I got your message. And yeah, I think it's a great idea for you guys to come up. I thought you were busy, though?" Peyton sat up a little, trying to remember what Jake had told her when he had said he couldn't make her father's funeral.

"Yeah, well, those plans fell through and the paper decided to go in a different direction, anyway, so I don't have to oversee anything," Jake explained before covering the mouthpiece and saying something Peyton couldn't understand, obviously to Jenny.

Peyton nodded, even though Jake couldn't see her. It was a strange habit, probably since at one point she would've had a webcam in front of her when talking on the phone. "Alright… yeah, I'd love to see you. I'd love for you to be at the service, but I understand if you can't, with Jenny and all."

"Yeah… Jenny's going to bed now, so we can leave bright and early tomorrow morning… aren't you, Jenny?" Peyton could barely hear a '_yeah!'_ in the background. "So, anyway, Peyt, how's your return been so far?"

Peyton laughed, wondering if Jake even realized what a loaded question that was, and drew her knees up to her chest, settling in for a long chat with him, which had become tradition over the past few years. "Oh, Jake, you'll never believe it…"

----

The walk from Karen's Café to the residential area of Tree Hill was much longer than Lucas remembered it being, or maybe it just felt that way. Being unable to keep a conversation going with Brooke certainly didn't help.

They hadn't spoken in over five years, and Lucas was all too aware that was his fault. He'd had a lot of time to reflect on it, after all, and to say he was ashamed of how he'd treated her as a teenager was putting it very mildly. "So…" he started, just as she started talking as well.

"So how are you and Peyton doing? You guys seemed pretty happy tonight," Brooke pointed out, glancing at Lucas out of the corner of her eye before looking away.

"Me and Peyton?" Lucas repeated in confusion, scratching the nape of his neck as he tried to figure out what she meant. "Peyton and I aren't together, not really. I mean we're friends, but we ended a while ago. Years ago, actually."

Brooke looked at him doubtfully, shaking her head a little. "You and Peyton don't end," she pointed out after a minute, rolling her eyes. "If anyone knows that, it's me. You have this weird cyclical thing going on. You'll probably be dating again by the end of the week."

Lucas was shocked by how casually Brooke spoke of his relationship with Peyton. He'd never felt like she'd fully accepted it, but maybe he was wrong. Brooke always had been a better person than he gave her credit for, in every possible way. "Nah, I don't think so," he said finally, considering what she'd said. He'd always love Peyton, but he didn't think it was really romantic anymore. And even if he did have feelings for her, she was surely over him. "What about you and Paolo?"

Brooke laughed, bringing her hand to her mouth. "Paolo and I… definitely aren't together. He's my assistant and he's an amazing friend, but we aren't dating."

"Oh. My mom said you'd mentioned a boyfriend," Lucas said without thinking about it, wincing after the words were out of his mouth.

Brooke stopped walking, glancing up at him and cocking her head to the side, shooting him a small smile. "You talk to your mom about me?" she asked, genuinely surprised. "Well, wonders never cease, I guess."

Lucas shrugged, glancing over at her as they walked on. "Yeah… I guess not." He paused, averting his gaze and looking down the road, adding stoically, his voice quiet, "Just because we fell out of touch doesn't mean I stopped wanting you to be happy, Brooke."

Brooke paused, clearing her throat, but Lucas could tell she was a little shaken by his words. "I never wanted you to be miserable, either," Brooke admitted after a minute.

"And God knows you had plenty of reason to," Lucas muttered.

----

"Mommy?"

Haley jumped a little as she heard James' voice. He'd been waking up a lot during the night lately, and nothing she tried to do seemed to help. She finished brushing her teeth quickly, washing the toothpaste out of her mouth and turning to look at James as she wiped her mouth. "Yeah, baby?"

"Can I come cuddle with you? I had a bad dream and now I can't get back to sleep." James stuck out his bottom lip in a dramatic pout, turning his face up to look at Haley.

Haley sighed, crouching down to give James a kiss on the top of his head. "Yeah… yeah, of course you can. Go jump into my bed and I'll be there in a couple minutes, okay?"

James nodded and ran out of the bathroom, leaving Haley to stare at her reflection in the mirror. She'd been feeling crappy all day, which she'd written off to the stress of having Nathan over and finding out James had been causing problems in school. But now that the dinner was over and she didn't feel even mildly better, she was starting to wonder if it was something else, something that would cause a much bigger problem than a bug.

Taking a deep breath, she rummaged through her vanity drawer for the pregnancy test she'd bought a few months ago but hadn't had to use, and set it out on top of the vanity so she'd remember to take it in the morning.

Like she could really forget.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five.**

**---- **

Nathan swung open the door to his apartment before Lucas had a chance to even knock a second time, ushering his brother inside before closing the door again. "Hey," he greeted him dully, gesturing toward the fridge. "I have cheap beer and deli meat, but not much else. Not even bread. Help yourself."

Lucas scowled, shaking his head. "Uh… I think I'll pass. Thanks, though," he muttered, picking up the papers on the couch and plopping down, his gaze dropping to the papers. "Oh, Nathan…" he said quietly after a minute, looking up at his brother with a sad gaze. "Haley didn't tell me things were so bad. When?"

Nathan sighed, sitting down next to his brother. "Today. _I_ didn't realize things were this bad, Luke. She's… pissed. And I still don't have a clue what I did to make her this angry." At Lucas' look, Nathan held up his hands. "_Honestly._"

"Huh. Maybe you could convince her to go to counseling or something first, at least? Instead of just throwing everything away over some fight or whatever," Lucas suggested, handing the papers over to Nathan.

"Yeah, I don't know, Lucas. I went over there tonight because we needed to talk to James about what's going on and she… she's pretty serious, Luke. I don't think this is something I can talk my way out of, and even if I could, I wouldn't know where to start. I don't even know what I did wrong, so it's not like I can apologize for it."

"What do you mean she seemed serious?" Lucas questioned, leaning forward a little. Pausing, he added, "On second thought, I'll take that beer. You want one?" he asked as he climbed up from the couch, heading over to the small refrigerator.

"Yeah, sure," Nathan nodded, leaning back into the couch and closing his eyes. "She was telling James we're getting a divorce, you know? Talking about it and her tone just sounded so… disconnected. Like she's already there mentally or something. It was weird. It was like talking to a stranger, only it wasn't. It was Hales."

Lucas returned with two cans of beer, handing one to Nathan. "I don't think your fridge is working right," he warned the other man. "They aren't really that cold." He popped his open and took a gulp, glancing over at Nathan and returning to the subject at hand. "This is Haley we're talking about. She's never really had an easy time letting go, so you're probably just making too much of this. I don't know, Nate."

Nathan groaned, wishing Lucas would listen to what he was saying. "Luke, I know you're her best friend, but… she's been my wife for the past seven years. I do have a bit of a clue how she thinks and operates, you know? And it's _serious._ She's serious. She wants this divorce."

"Sorry, man," Lucas mumbled, taking another swig of his beer. "So what are you going to do?"

----

After she'd hung up with Jake, Peyton had changed into her pajamas and decided to tackle her own bedroom. She wanted to sell the house since she couldn't imagine staying in Tree Hill, and the faster she got it cleaned out, the better.

Her bedroom had served as a storage area for the past five years, for both her stuff as well as her dad's, and various odds and ends. She was sorting through her closet- which not only included old clothing, but also cardboard boxes of old bills, art supplies, and even a toilet plunger- when she stumbled across a small wooden box she'd long since forgotten about.

She stared at it for a minute before gingerly pulling it out, sitting down cross-legged on her bed as she opened the box. It had been a gift from Brooke upon their high school graduation, filled with mementoes from their ten year friendship. At the time, it had made her feel guilty so she'd shoved it in the back of her closet, and as time passed, forgotten about it.

She pulled out the note Brooke had placed at the top of the box, smiling softly as she read it.

_P. Sawyer,_

_We've had a lot of ups and downs over the past couple years, but we promised not to let a boy come between a friendship. Sometimes, that's harder than it is others, but ten years is still something to celebrate, as is moving on to a new stage in life! Ravens forever!_

_ 3 Brooke_

It had been short and sweet, pretty fitting. Beneath it lay a time capsule of sorts. There were photos dating back to the mid-90s showing a grinning Brooke and a toothless Peyton- she remembered that one well. She'd gotten in a fight with Toby Ramirez on the playground, and he'd knocked out her two front teeth. Luckily, they'd been baby teeth.

Peyton couldn't help but notice that as the pictures and mementoes moved through time, they got less personal. She'd never realized it back then, but for a best friend, she'd never let Brooke in on much of her life.

She frowned, setting the box down. So many of their problems had been over Lucas, and Peyton was starting to see things from both sides. In high school, she'd felt like Brooke came between her and Lucas, that she should've known Peyton liked him. Now she wondered why she'd expected Brooke to know all along something Peyton had refused to admit to herself.

----

"I _hate_ you," Brooke announced as she closed her hotel door behind her, glaring at Paolo. "That was so mean! I can't believe you took off like that and left me there alone! What happened to backup? Friendly support?"

Paolo barely looked up from where he was lazing on the bed, giving Brooke an amused smile. "Well, you're back in one piece. Apparently you didn't need backup. And really, you needed to talk to those two, and I wasn't part of this little… whatever, love triangle from hell in high school."

Brooke groaned, bringing her hands to her face and shaking her head. "Sometimes I really hate you," she muttered.

"We've already covered that. The good thing is that the times you love me outweigh the times you hate me and you love me too much to hurt me… even when you're pissed off. Right?"

Brooke was oddly tempted to give him the finger, but she hadn't done that since she was fifteen and didn't plan to start again. "It was _horrible._ Lucas even walked me home."

"Chivalry… what was he thinking?" Paolo teased, smirking a little as he looked at her. "Brooke, you're going to have to try harder than that to make me pity you. Did he at least try to take advantage of you in a dark alley?"

"Lucas isn't like that," Brooke defended him quickly, frowning as she realized what she'd done and sighing. "But seriously, Paolo, it was so awkward."

"So are him and the homewrecker dating?" Paolo asked bluntly, raising an eyebrow. At Brooke's look, he just shrugged. "Don't tell me you didn't ask. I know you better than that, Brooke."

"I didn't… ask. I assumed, and no. They aren't. But that doesn't mean anything. And besides, Lucas and Peyton have this weird thing where they keep going back to each other, anyway. And it's a moot point because I'm not interested in him!"

"Who are you trying to convince?"

Brooke scowled, reaching down and picking up the pillow, only to sack Paolo in the head with it. "I don't have to convince anyone. I'm done with Lucas. There's always going to be some weirdness and a lot of history there, but I love Lorenzo. He makes me happy."

"Oh… speaking of Lorenzo, he called."

Brooke stared at Paolo, shaking her head. "And you're just thinking to tell me this now?"

"Yeah, must have slipped my mind. I can be slow like that," Paolo responded with an easygoing grin.

----

Nathan stretched his arms over his head, stifling a yawn as he glanced over at Lucas. "Anyway, I've been venting all night. You didn't look so happy when you came over, so… well, I wouldn't mind hearing about someone else's problems for a while."

Lucas laughed, shaking his head. "Hah, schadenfreude."

"What?" Nathan asked, giving him a confused look. "I ask you what's going on and you feel the need to give me an English lesson? Typical."

Lucas shook his head. "Nah, it's German. Just means taking pleasure in someone else's pain, basically. Think Hitler."

Nathan stared at him for a long moment. "Did you just compare me to Hitler?"

"No, I just-" Lucas broke off, laughing. "This has to be the oddest conversation in the history of odd conversations."

"Right… or you're just avoiding the topic. Somehow I can't help but think it has to do with the fact that both Peyton _and_ Brooke are back in town. Prove me wrong," Nathan challenged, a mischievous gleam in his gaze.

Lucas studied his younger brother for a minute before giving in. "No, you're right," he admitted after a long pause. "It's Peyton and Brooke. Brooke more than Peyton at the moment, but it's definitely both of them."

Nathan nodded, taking a swig of his beer and gesturing for Lucas to continue.

"Well, it's just… I like both girls. I don't necessarily mean romantically, but I don't want to be enemies, either, you know? And Brooke just… she seems like she's wiped her hands clean of me, and on the other hand I don't know if being around Peyton right now is good for her."

"Necessarily," Nathan repeated, knowing that basically meant his brother was screwed. "Riiiight." He took another sip of his beer as he considered what Lucas had said, meeting his brother's gaze. "Maybe Brooke has wiped her hands clean of you. Man, I can't say I'd blame her after what you put that girl through in high school. Sometimes it's better to just let people move on."

"Says the guy who doesn't know how to save his failing marriage, but isn't willing to move on." Lucas glanced around the apartment, rolling his eyes. "Don't bother to deny it, Nate. You don't even have a table."

Nathan shrugged, running his hand through his hair. "That's different," he muttered. Haley was his _wife,_ not some girlfriend from high school he'd fallen out of touch with. "And this Peyton stuff… why wouldn't it be good for her to have you around? You were always there for her in high school."

"That's kind of it," Lucas explained, thinking about it for a minute. "Every time something bad's happened in Peyton's life, she turns to someone else to rely on. We're adults now, and I just… as much as I want to be there for her, I think she needs to learn she can take care of herself, that she's stronger than she thinks." He shrugged. "Her brother told me that years ago, but what can I say? I'm a slow learner."

----

Haley rolled over in bed again, trying to move as quietly as possible so she wouldn't wake up James. It had taken the better part of an hour to get him back to sleep, and now she couldn't fall asleep herself.

Her mind was plagued with worries, and she couldn't find a way to turn it off for the night.

If she was pregnant, she didn't know what she'd do. She'd been scared when she was pregnant with James, but that was nothing like this. At least back then, she'd known she'd have Nathan to count on. Now… she wouldn't.

She sighed, staring up at her ceiling as the moonlight shined into her room. She ran her fingers over her belly, as if trying to sense whether or not there was life in there. The thought of bringing a baby into this world alone petrified her, but she knew she wouldn't be able to abort if she was pregnant. After all, it would be James' little brother or sister, and he'd always wanted a sibling.

It was funny how things like this worked. A while back, she and Nathan had been trying to get pregnant. For over a year, they'd had no luck. They'd so desperately wanted another child, for James to have a sibling, and every month they were met with disappointment.

Haley had no doubt that the issue had affected their marriage. When you start having sex with your husband just to procreate, there will always be an issue.

Now, there was a chance she was pregnant and Nathan wasn't in the picture. She knew getting back together with him was out of the question. It didn't seem to be something he wanted, and she'd always felt like getting back together with a man or staying with someone because of a child would do more harm than good to all involved parties.

She didn't know how she'd tell Nathan if she was pregnant. The thought of having that conversation scared her out of her mind right now. She couldn't even imagine it, couldn't form the words in her mind. And come tomorrow, having to find those words could be a very, very real possibility.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: It might be a couple days before I have another update. I'm trying to always stay a few chapters beyond what I'm uploading so that if I hit any potential problems I'll know before there's no way to fix it. Plus, that way I can continue to do the updates nightly or at least almost nightly. Basically, I just need a day or two to write a few more chapters before I can upload anymore. ;)

----

**Chapter Six.**

Lucas woke up on the floor of Nathan's apartment with one hell of a headache. As his vision grew less blurry and his eyes started to focus, he realized Nathan was still passed out on the floor and beer cans were strewn about on the floor, surrounding them.

They'd certainly had more to drink than he remembered. He stood up slowly, trying to ignore the growing nausea he was feeling as he groped around for the culprit that had disrupted his sleep. Finally locating his cell phone on the couch, he answered groggily, "Hello?"

"Hey, Lucas, it's Peyton. I was just wondering if you wanted to get together, maybe do breakfast? I just got out of the funeral home- I had a meeting about the arrangements for my dad's funeral- and I kind of need something to do, you know?"

Lucas winced as she talked, disturbed by how peppy her voice was. Peyton was _never_ peppy, so he was pretty sure it was a sign of just how bad his hangover was. "Uh… I don't know, Peyton. I'm not really feeling that great and I kind of had plans for the morning, so…" He trailed off weakly, not even capable of coming up with a good lie. "Maybe later on, though?"

"Oh… alright." The disappointment was clear in Peyton's tone, and it definitely made Lucas feel guilty. "Yeah, I'll see you later. Just give me a call and we can find something to do, alright?"

Lucas sighed, wishing she'd take her voice down a decibel or two. "Yeah.. sure. Look, Peyton, I have to go, but I'll call you later," he mumbled, rubbing his temple with his free hand.

"Yeah… bye." Peyton's tone sounded a little on the depressed side, and Lucas was pretty sure Peyton thought he was blowing her off.

Lucas closed his phone with a groan, glancing over at Nathan. He reached over to attempt to wake him up, but the motion made his head spin so instead, he threw his cell phone at his brother.

Nathan stirred, rubbing where it had hit him in the back. "Haley, what did you do that for?" he mumbled, obviously still half asleep.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "It's Lucas, you moron. Get up."

----

The previous night, Peyton had agreed to let Jake and Jenny stay with her at her dad's for the duration of their stay so they wouldn't have to waste money on a hotel. After Lucas had declined her breakfast invitation, she'd decided to busy herself by preparing for their arrival. She'd found and laundered a few extra blankets, and she'd even ordered Chinese food for later. The delivery boy had given her plenty of odd looks for ordering it at 10 in the morning, but she figured it wasn't his business, anyway.

Now that she'd temporarily run out of things to do, she'd focused her energy on herself, spending a little extra time getting ready for the day. She'd spent a little extra time in the shower and she'd blown her hair dry, and now she was putting all her effort into applying her makeup flawlessly, and she was definitely using more than her normal lip gloss and mascara routine.

Of course, her extra preparations had nothing to do with the fact that she'd be spending time with the only two boys she'd ever loved today. No, none at all, or so she kept insisting to herself.

It was pretty bad when you didn't even believe yourself about something like that.

Really, Peyton was a bundle of nervous energy, and channeling it somewhere- in this case, to her own beautification- was all she could do to control it, let alone handle it. Being back in Tree Hill was odd, and seeing Lucas again was even more so. Adding Jake to the equation made her feel a little sick to her stomach.

She didn't anticipate anything actually happening with either man, but it didn't make her any less nervous about seeing them. That was particularly weird when it came to Jake, since she'd been able to hang out with him platonically so often over the past few years. She wasn't really sure what had gotten into her.

"Maybe it's just being back in this town," she mused aloud, running her fingers through her hair. It was less curly than it had been in high school, but still pretty wavy and with a lot of volume. She attributed that to finally learning how to care for it correctly.

Being back in this town… that had to be it. After all, there was nothing quite like being surrounded by your old high school friends to make you reminisce about your past. It was only natural.

----

Brooke swung open the door to Karen's Café, relieved to see it fairly empty and with no old acquaintances from high school in sight. She was in desperate need for a caffeine fix, and in all these years, Brooke Davis never had learned to deal with mornings.

Her mood improved dramatically when she spotted a familiar figure behind the counter. The face was a little older, sure, and she looked more worn out than the last time Brooke had seen her, but there was no mistaking Karen Roe.

"Karen!" she greeted her enthusiastically as she approached the counter, giving her a small wave. "You look… amazing." It was true. The other woman didn't appear to have put on a pound, even though she was getting older and had had another kid.

Karen glanced up and gave Brooke a warm smile when she saw her, looking her up and down from head to toe before her smile spread to a grin. "Brooke Davis! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed you were back in town," she told her, coming around the counter to give her a hug.

Brooke returned her hug, squeezing Karen's shoulders gently before pulling away. "Well if there's anything I've missed about this town, it's your coffee," she hinted good-naturedly, reaching for her purse.

Karen nodded, going back around the counter and grabbing a cup. "Do you still take it the same way? A splash of milk and two sugars?"

"Wow, you have a good memory. But only one sugar now, please," Brooke replied, settling down on one of the stools by the counter. "I meant to call you. I was hoping we could talk some while I was in town. I definitely miss our girl talk."

Karen nodded, mixing Brooke's coffee and handing it to her. "I was meaning to call you, too. Lucas mentioned he picked you up at the airport." She leaned forward conspiratorially, smiling a little as she studied Brooke. "You know, I always wished Lucas would've chosen you," she admitted after a long moment, shaking her head. "Don't get me wrong- I've liked all of Lucas' girlfriends, but you were always my favorite."

Brooke grinned, knowing Karen couldn't possibly understand how much that meant to her. Her smile fading a little, she shrugged. "And for a long time, I wished he would've picked me, too," she returned with a laugh, shaking her head. "I actually ran into Lucas and Peyton last night… here, actually, but I didn't see you. Have you finally learned how to relax a little?"

Karen laughed again, and Brooke wished it was a sound she could memorize and take home with her. There was something about Karen's laugh, from the realness of it to the way it was reflected in her eyes, that amazed Brooke. "Hardly. Alana had a dance recital, so I had to take the night off."

"Oh, and how's she doing?" Brooke asked lapsing into natural conversation with her ex's mother. It was odd to think that once upon a time, she'd been scared to speak to this woman, unable to hold a conversation with her because she was so afraid of being judged as unworthy of Lucas. Now, it was Lucas she found herself unable to carry on a conversation with, and talking to Karen came easily.

----

Originally, Jake Jagielski had planned on road tripping his way to Tree Hill. However, that plan had been changed when he realized that as a father of an eight year old girl, that could only spell disaster. It would be at least five hours in the car, and Jenny was definitely incapable of sitting still that long.

So like any concerned parent, Jake opted to fly in. The pilot had just announced they were approaching their destination, and nervous waves were coursing through Jake's body.

"Dad, can I take this off yet?" Jenny asked, tugging on her seatbelt as she made puppy eyes at him. Jenny had inherited his mother's eyes, bold and dark and expressive. Jake found himself all too easily sucked in.

But he'd learned how to deal with it. "No," he told her gently, pulling her hand away from the buckle. "We're going to be landing soon, and you definitely want to have that on when we land. It isn't safe to take it off until that light goes off," he explained, indicating the seatbelt light above their heads.

Jenny pouted but obeyed, returning her focus to the book she was reading. After a minute, she asked quietly, "Daddy, what does heartsick mean? Is it like having a heart attack?"

Jake glanced down at her book, his eyes quickly finding the passage she was asking about. "Not quite. It's more like brokenhearted, Jenny," he explained, giving her a tight smile.

Heartsick. He definitely knew what that felt like. After Peyton had said Lucas' name in her sleep all those years ago, when everything was so close to working itself out, that was certainly how he'd felt.

But now, he hoped, things would be different. Hopefully this trip would bring a conclusion to that chapter of Peyton's life, let her move on from Lucas without regret.

And maybe, just maybe, someday she would be his wife.

----

Lucas walked into his mother's café, pretty sure the only way to help his headache was with coffee. Nathan had been hit even worse than he was, and somehow he doubted Nathan had moved further than from the floor to bed. He'd told Lucas it was because he hadn't been drunk in quite some time, since before James was born.

As he approached the counter, he noticed a familiar woman talking to his mother, and smiled a little. Brooke and Karen always had gotten along surprisingly well, and Lucas was pretty sure it was because his mother saw a little of herself in Brooke.

"Hey," he greeted the two with a small smile. "Two of the most beautiful women in the world sitting in one small café. No wonder the place is so packed," he joked, walking around the counter to get himself a cup of coffee.

Karen laughed, but Brooke just stared. It was really starting to unnerve Lucas how calm and collected she was, especially when he knew he was anything but. He was definitely thrown off by Brooke's presence, and she made it even more difficult to figure out how he was supposed to act around her.

"Hey, honey. How was your night?" Karen asked curiously, putting the sugar in his mug for him as she spoke.

Lucas glanced over at Brooke to see if the question would get any reaction from her, but all she did was look down at her cup. "Pretty good. I spent a lot of time talking to Nate- the whole night, really, but we both drank too much. He's really having a hard time. Did you know Hales served him with divorce papers?"

Brooke's attention was suddenly back to him, and Lucas wished he had a camera to capture her expression in that moment. "_What?_ Naley's getting divorced?" she asked in shock. "They're… HaleyandNathan. NathanandHaley. Naley. If they can't make it, what chance do the rest of us have?"

Lucas frowned a little, sighing. "I don't know if it's actually going to happen. Haley might cool down, you never know. Nathan can't even figure out what he did wrong, so I'm going to go talk to Haley this afternoon, I think."

Brooke scowled, shaking her head. "And say what? Nathan sent you to find out why she doesn't want him anymore? I doubt that would go over well."

With a grimace, Lucas admitted, "Yeah, I thought of that, but I don't know what else to say to her and I'm not going to lie to her."

Brooke paused for a minute, taking a sip of her coffee as she thought things over. "I'll go talk to her," she said after a minute, sliding off her stool.

Karen watched Brooke walk away before turning to look at Lucas, gesturing to Brooke's departing figure. "You know, I always liked that girl."

Lucas sighed, taking another sip of his coffee. He certainly didn't have the energy for his mother's thinly veiled hints right now.

----

Haley sat on the toilet seat, her hands shaking as she waited. The waiting was the hardest part, even if it was only for mere moments. Once you'd opened the pregnancy test and taken the initiative to use it, you just wanted it to be over with as quickly as possible.

"Mommy, are you almost done in there?"

Haley winced as she heard James outside the door, forcing herself to stay calm. "Yeah, baby. I'll be out in just a minute, alright? How about you go pick out your clothes for today?"

"I can pick them out all by myself? Alright! Cool!" She could hear James running from the room, undoubtedly down the hallway and to his own room. The last time she'd let James pick out his own clothes, he'd insisted on wearing his Ninja Turtles' Halloween costume. She had no doubt today's would be equally strange, but it was good to let a kid make his own decisions every once in a while.

The timer on her cell phone went off and she jumped, her nerves already frayed. Taking a deep breath, she stared at the box for the test, now actively wasting time before she had to read the results, before her life could be changed forever, before she could officially be a pregnant single mother.

Of course, there was no confusing the words "pregnant" and "not pregnant," and the test did claim to be the most sophisticated technology she'd ever pee on.

Haley squeezed her eyes shut, taking a moment to collect herself. She didn't know what she'd do if she was pregnant. But she knew she'd work it out, for both her sake and James'. And, of course, for the new baby's.

She looked down.

The most sophisticated piece of technology she'd ever peed on was telling her she was, indeed, pregnant.

"Shit," she muttered, blanching.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven.**

----

It was a good five minutes later that Haley forced herself to leave the bathroom. Regardless of whether or not the world had just crashed around her, she still had a son to care for, and her son was very possibly dressing up as a pirate or a cowboy for school.

"James?" she called as she walked toward his room, pausing in his doorway and smiling as she saw him. He'd pulled out beige khakis and a green T-shirt, and as he caught Haley looking at him, he looked rather proud of himself.

"Mom! It's something you'd make me wear!" he announced with a grin, jumping up and running over to her, wrapping her legs in a tight hug.

Haley laughed, kneeling down in front of him to properly return his hug. "Yeah. You did a god job, baby," she told him with a grin. "You get dressed and I'll help you with the buttons and your shoes, alright?"

James nodded excitedly, dashing back over to his bed where he'd laid out his clothes and starting to change. "Mom, is Daddy gonna come over today?" he asked after a minute, poking his head through the shirt.

Haley paused, not entirely sure what to tell him. "Well, if you want him to come over, I'm sure we could call and he'd stop by," she offered, biting her bottom lip. The last thing she really wanted to do was see Nathan right now. Avoiding him sounded pretty good, actually, at least until she figured out how to break the news.

James didn't reply, instead pursing his lips and studying her for a minute. "You don't want to see Daddy today, do you?" he asked quietly, shocking Haley.

Maybe that woman from his school had been more accurate than she'd originally thought. James sure did seem to be picking up on more than she'd like him to be, that was for sure. Taking a deep breath, she considered her answer carefully. "Mommy has a lot going on right now," she explained gently, giving James a small smile. "But Mommy wants you to be happy more than anything."

James nodded slowly, giving her another smile. "I get it," he announced, returning his attention to dressing himself as if the conversation had never happened.

Haley sighed, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to figure out what her next move should be.

----

"Jesus, you look like hell," was the first thing Rebecca Hardy said to Nathan when he got into the office. Rebecca, on the other hand, looked as perfect as ever. Her blonde hair fell in glossy waves around her face, and her skin was so flawless that she barely used any makeup. She wore a tight-fitting black dress that showed off her ample cleavage and didn't quite reach her knees. Nathan was well aware that all the lawyers in the building looked at Rebecca as some kind of trophy, but he saw her differently.

To him, Rebecca was a smart, driven, career-oriented woman. She'd managed to put herself through college by modeling and in the process, yes, she'd managed to exploit her sexuality, but she'd also graduated with Honors from an Ivy League university.

Rebecca had the same credentials as him and better grades, but she was his assistant. Nathan knew he only had his position because he was a male, and while he was grateful for it, it pissed him off to no end that someone like Rebecca had to work under him just because their bosses thought she was too pretty to be taken seriously.

"Thanks, Becky. And you have something between your teeth," he returned without missing a beat, slumping into his office chair. She didn't fall for the bait, though, instead just rolling her eyes at him.

"If that's the best you can do, you should just go home sick today. You won't survive the caseload anyway," she told him with a sigh, gesturing to the stack of manila folders on the corner of his desk. "They want you to process all of them and rank them by order of importance and how much money they'd bring the company." She feigned a yawn, rolling her eyes. "Basically, more grunt work. If you want I'll take half the pile to help you get it done sooner."

Nathan nodded, figuring that would definitely be a help. "They really should pay you more," he muttered, gesturing for her to join him at his desk.

Rebecca laughed, sitting down opposite him and picking up some of the stack. "You say that all the time. It hasn't changed my paychecks yet," she joked, grabbing one of his pens and a pile of post-it notes off his desk. "Anyway, I'll make notes about the expected settlement costs and that stuff. You do the same, and then we can just sort them."

Nathan nodded, running his hands through his hair as he glanced over at her. As much as he didn't want to admit it, there was no way he would've been successful at this job without Rebecca's help. It amazed him that she was so good-natured about everything. There was no way she wasn't aware of how overqualified she was for her position.

"So, anyway," Rebecca was saying, arching a perfectly shaped brow at him. "Did you fix things with Haley yet? You two are too cute to break up."

Nathan groaned, shaking his head. "No. Hence why I look like shit. I drank all night with my brother, in what was my dumbest move since… well, probably since I was a senior in high school."

Rebecca laughed, studying Nathan for a minute. "You know… I think you could do better than Haley, but if this is what you're like without her, you really need to get her back."

"Thanks… I think," Nathan muttered, returning his attention to the folders.

----

Peyton rocked back and forth on her feet as she waited for Jake and Jenny to get down to baggage claim. The screens said their plane had landed about ten minutes earlier, so she knew they should be down any minute.

She was excited to see them, not having realized until she heard Jake's voice the previous night how much she missed him She'd been holding herself together pretty well so far, all things considered, but the idea that Jake would soon be there to help her deal with everything was a huge comfort.

She'd confided a lot in Jake over the past few years, and he'd sort of become her confidante in many ways. He was the person she'd call when she was having problems, regardless of what they were. He was the only one who seemed to understand when she'd tell him she felt like she couldn't sort out her place in the world, when she'd say she felt lost, floating among people and jobs and places, without any meaning.

He was the first person since Brooke to understand why she had such a hard time with commitment and trust, why she scared so easily. He was the first person since Brooke who she felt comfortable talking to about her mothers, and now her dad.

And it certainly wasn't like she could turn to Brooke with that stuff now, anyway. She knew her friendship with Brooke would never be the same or as strong as it was before Lucas had come into their lives, and it hurt her to admit that she was the cause of a lot of that. Looking back on it, she wished she could've done things differently. As much as she'd loved Lucas, she hadn't realized then that she'd loved Brooke more.

She'd been a teenager, and a pretty naïve one at that when it came to love. Romantic love was something new, something enticing, whereas the love for a friend wasn't. She'd mistakenly interpreted that to mean her love for Lucas was more intense, that she needed him in her life more.

By the time she'd realized that wasn't the case, it was too late to take it all back.

Her thoughts were cut off as she heard her name being called and then saw Jenny running toward her, Jake not too far behind. A smile came instantly to her face, not the kind she had to force, but the kind she couldn't even control, genuine and reaching her eyes.

When Jake pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head and assured her he was there for her, she believed him. And for the first time in a long time, she felt like everything would be okay.

----

After leaving the café, Brooke had realized she didn't actually have a current address for Haley, so she'd had to call Karen to get one. She was now parked in front of the home Nathan and Haley had once shared, but apparently now only Haley lived in.

Brooke thought it was a pretty sweet deal. The house was by no means huge and paled in comparison to Nathan's childhood home, but it was still a very cute two story colonial that was plenty big for a family of five or six, let alone two people.

Or if Brooke had her way, three. She wasn't sure what had happened, but she did intend to find out. She'd been gone for a while, sure, but she doubted the world had shifted so greatly that Nathan and Haley no longer loved each other. She didn't really think that was possible.

So it must be something else. She just couldn't figure out what else would cause a big enough deal that Haley would insist on getting a divorce from Nathan, especially since they'd survived for so long even when most people expected them to fail, getting married so young.

She walked up to the door with a newfound determination, ringing the doorbell and leaning against the railing as she waited for an answer. She still talked to Haley once in a while, occasionally on the phone, and the two exchanged letters pretty frequently. Brooke found it pretty odd Haley hadn't mentioned any marital strain or referenced a divorce, so she figured whatever had happened to spark this must've happened pretty quickly.

The door swung open pretty suddenly and there was Haley, standing there in jeans and a loose-fitting T-shirt that Brooke wasn't sure she'd even wear to _bed._ But Haley had never been particularly fashion conscious, so Brooke didn't think much of it.

"Hey," she greeted the other girl with a small smile, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to invite me in?"

Haley seemed to be in shock at having Brooke show up at her doorstep, but she nodded slowly. "Yeah… I just dropped James off at school and I have a piano lesson in about half an hour, but… yeah, I have time."

Something seemed off about Haley, but Brooke couldn't really place it. So instead she just nodded, figuring she'd have some time to figure out what it was. Stepping into the house, she pulled Haley into an impromptu hug, whispering, "It's been a long time, Tutor-Girl."

Haley laughed, but her laugh sounded oddly hollow and Brooke started to grow concerned. "Come in. I'll make you tea or something," Haley invited, closing the door behind Brooke and leading her toward the kitchen.

----

Karen had been studying Lucas off and on for the better part of a half hour now, and Lucas was really starting to get irritated. Setting down his coffee, he sighed. "Mom, if you have something to say, just say it already," he demanded.

Karen blinked, obviously a little surprised that she'd been caught. "Well, actually, I do," she recovered quickly, sitting down next to Lucas and meeting his gaze. "I'm worried about Brooke, Lucas. And Peyton. I'd like to think I raised a son who won't toy with these girls' hearts, but unfortunately… I know better."

"Mom, that's not fair-" Lucas started to protest, but Karen cut him off.

"High school wasn't that long ago, Lucas, and it's pretty obvious Brooke's still recovering, and if I had to bet, Peyton is, too." She gave him a soft smile, reaching out and stroking the side of his face. "If you decide one of these girls is the one for you, try to be sure, alright? It's not fair to any of you to waver like you did in high school, and I don't think anyone wants that drama again."

Lucas sighed, resting his face in his hands with a groan. "Why does everyone think that since Brooke and Peyton are back in town, that means I'm going to try something with either? Why doesn't anyone believe that I've moved on from this stuff?"

Karen pursed her lips, looking at her soon pointedly. "Have you?" she asked him quietly, reaching over to refill his coffee.

Lucas knew she had a point. He hadn't had a serious girlfriend since the last time he'd broken up with Peyton, and both girls tended to pop up in his dreams every once in a while. Lately it had been even worse.

Karen took his silence as a confirmation and sighed, shaking her head. "Be careful, Lucas. Their hearts aren't something you can toy around with. I think Brooke barely survived the first time around, and there's probably a reason she hasn't come around, you know?"

"You think she's been purposely avoiding me?" Lucas asked in surprise. For some reason, that idea had never occurred to him, even though now that his mother had mentioned it, it made perfect sense.

Laughing, Karen replied, "I think the girl's stayed in touch with everyone in this town- myself included- but you. I definitely think there's a reason for that." She lapsed into silence, adding after a minute, "And Lucas?"

Lucas sighed. "Yeah?"

"If you do choose Brooke, respect her wishes. She very well might not want to open herself up to that hurt again. She seems like she's come a long way."

----

"So, um, what do you want to talk about?" Haley asked after she'd prepared some chamomile tea for herself and Brooke, secretly hoping it would settle her stomach.

Brooke sat down on the couch across from where Haley had plopped down, taking a sip of her tea before responding. "Well, we could start with the fact that we're friends, we stay in touch, and you're getting a divorce I didn't know about," Brooke replied with a shrug, searching Haley's gaze. "What's going on, Haley?"

Haley frowned, shaking her head. "It's complicated, Brooke. I wasn't purposely keeping it from you or anything. I just- it needed to be done, I guess."

"Well, that's pretty vague. From what Lucas tells me, Nathan doesn't even know why you want to divorce him," Brooke told her bluntly, crossing her legs as she studied her friend.

"You've been talking to Lucas?" Haley asked in a lame attempt to change the topic, but she knew from Brooke's expression that the brunette wasn't about to fall for it. Heaving a sigh, she explained after a minute, "The relationship just… went stagnant, Brooke. There wasn't any one thing, really. Just a bunch of small things and one day I realized that having Nathan around didn't even feel _good_ anymore."

Brooke frowned a little, biting her lip. "How'd it feel?" she asked softly, obviously trying to understand.

Haley bit her bottom lip, trying to put everything to words. It was a difficult task. "Burdensome," she spoke softly after a minute, giving her friend a weak shrug. "I love him- I always will, but everything just… didn't seem right." She stretched out her legs, frowning. "It was too much stress, I guess. I felt like we were living a fake life, like we weren't being ourselves anymore. And it freaked me out."

Brooke didn't respond at all for a minute, taking the time to absorb all the information before she slowly nodded. "Did you talk to Nathan about this at all?"

Haley shrugged, shaking her head. "Not really. I mean, I tried, but I think he knew on some level things were wrong. He throws himself into work, and then there's Rebecca and it just… it all makes me sick to my stomach." And it really was. She hadn't had much morning sickness with James, but suddenly the feeling generally crappy over the past few days made sense to her.

"…Who's Rebecca?" Brooke asked hesitantly, her gaze questioning.

"Nathan's secretary," Haley groaned. "She hates me and it's just- it's obvious something's going on there, Brooke. I can't say I blame him. Our sex life has been less than thrilling for the past couple years and she looks like she stepped out of Playboy or something."

Brooke's eyes widened and she openly stared at Haley for a minute. "You're saying he _cheated_ on you?" she asked in shock, obviously having a hard time believing that.

Haley gulped, staring down at her lap for a couple seconds. "Yeah… yeah, I am."


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I've gotten quite a few questions about how I'm uploading while the uploading option on seems to be not working, so I figured I'd explain it here. If you have a single chapter already uploaded, even already in a story and not in the document manager, you can go to stories and then click edit on the story. Once the page to edit the story comes up, click on the link that says something like contents/chapters. Then it will list the chapters individually, and one of the links for each chapter says "exp" for export. Click that one, and it will export a copy of the chapter to the document manager. Then just go to the document manager, edit the content of that file with the text you want to upload, and save it. Then just add it to your story as a new chapter just like you would with a real upload. It won't overwrite the original chapter you exported or anything.

**Chapter Eight.**

**---- **

Jenny Jagielski had certainly hit the genetic gene pool. She had her mother's raven hair and delicate bone structure, with her father's soulful eyes and fair skin. Peyton wasn't sure she'd ever seen a more adorable eight year old, but she knew she was far from unbiased.

"Aunty Peyton?" Jenny asked, stirring Peyton from her thoughts. "Do you have any juice? All Dad let me have on the plane was water. He was paranoid I'd get dehydrated."

Jake made a face from his seat on the living room couch, giving Peyton a shrug as if to say "what can you do?"

Peyton laughed before turning her attention to Jenny and shaking her head. "No, sorry. If you want to throw your shoes on I'll take you to the store, though, and you can pick out some juice." She didn't bother asking Jake since she'd made plenty of trips with Jenny in the past. She knew Jake trusted her with his daughter.

Jenny grinned, jumping up and running toward the door where she'd left her shoes. "C'mon, Peytonn! Are you coming?" she called a minute later.

Peyton sighed, glancing over at Jake. "Do you want to come? I figured you'd want to get settled in, but if you want-"

Jake shook his head, cutting Peyton off. "Nah, it's fine. You girls go have a good time and I'll unpack and have lunch waiting for you by the time you're home."

Peyton gave Jake a weak smile, glancing toward the doorway and nodding. "Alright," she agreed softly, her gaze flickering back over Jake's face before starting for the door. She couldn't figure out why she'd been so nervous waiting for him to arrive. Now that he was here, it seemed so dumb. He was still the same old Jake, the only constant in her life over the past five years.

----

Brooke stared at Haley for a long minute, slowly blinking. "Are- are you sure?" she asked after a minute, shaking her head. "That doesn't seem like Nate, Haley."

Haley scowled, rolling her eyes. "Well, you haven't actually seen Nathan in five years, Brooke. Maybe if you'd come round once in a while, you'd know he's not-"

"Hey!" Brooke interrupted, frowning at Haley. "That's not fair. You know why I didn't come around and you supported me, Haley. You can't use something you encouraged against me."

"Whatever," Haley muttered immaturely, looking down at her chipping nail polish. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure, though. His assistant- this Rebecca girl- she's drop dead gorgeous, Brooke. And ever since she started working under him-"

"Under him. Hehee," Brooke started, making a face as she saw Haley's look. "Right, your husband. Sorry..."

Haley just rolled her eyes, a little amused that Brooke hadn't changed all that much. "Ever since she started working under him," she continued with a sigh, "He's been working later and later, going on more business trips, growing more obsessed with work." She bit her lip, shaking her head sadly. "I wasn't born yesterday, Brooke. I know what's going on and I don't want to be some dumb little housewife who just turns a blind eye on it."

"Yeah, but none of that sounds conclusive at all," Brooke pointed out, biting her bottom lip as she considered what Haley had said. "I don't know, Haley. You and Nathan have been through a lot together and I always figured that if anyone was gonna make it, it would be you two. I guess… well, before you do anything so permanent as finalizing this divorce… if it were me I'd want to be _sure_, you know?"

Haley ran her fingers through her hair as she looked at the brunette, not entirely sure how to respond. "He's my husband, Brooke. I know him like the back of my hand, or at least I did. I don't need to see him in bed with her to know something is going on between them."

Brooke gave Haley a small smile, glancing around the room. "I'm not saying you do. I'm just saying that if there's even a tiny part of you that isn't sure if he's really cheating, you owe it to him _and_ to yourself… and to James, really, to be sure."

Haley paused, thinking about what Brooke had said as she took a sip of her tea. After a minute, she gave her friend a small nod, taking a deep breath. "Yeah… I guess," she muttered, not at all sure how she was supposed to be sure. It wasn't exactly something she could just ask Nathan.

----

Lucas ran up the steps to Peyton's father's house, knocking on the door before leaning back against the reeling. He's figured he'd drop in to see if there was any heavy lifting to do today, especially since he knew it had to be hard for her to sort her childhood possessions into "toss" and "keep" piles.

"Wow, you're back soon. Was the store cl-" came a voice that _definitely_ wasn't Peyton's, and Lucas' idly wondered where the rake was. Sure, the man sounded friendly enough but so had Peyton's stalker. His anxiety died as the door pushed the rest of the way open to reveal a brunette man standing there, his hands tangled in his curly hair.

"Jake?" Lucas asked after a minute, his surprise evident in his voice. "Wow, uh, I didn't know you were going to be here." He frowned a little, wondering why Peyton hadn't mentioned it to him. The only explanation he could think of was that Peyton had thought he'd be jealous… but jealous of what? He was relatively sure that he would've found out if Jake and Peyton were dating.

"Yeah…" Jake said softly after a minute, shaking his head and stepping aside. "Can I invite you into someone else's house? Or is that not…" He trailed off with a shrug, giving Lucas a good-natured smile. "Oh, what the hell, she'd let you in anyway, right?"

Lucas laughed and nodded, stepping inside and closing the door behind him as he glanced around. The house was a lot cleaner than it had been the previous day, and there was an open jar of mayonnaise on the table along with bread and some cold cuts.

Six slices of bread. Lucas raised an eyebrow, glancing around. "Is Jenny here? Man, I haven't seen her since she was four or five."

"Yeeeah, but she's with Peyton," Jake responded, sitting back down at the couch and continuing to prepare the sandwiches on the coffee table. "Do you want a sandwich? I told Peyton I'd have lunch ready when the girls get back with Jenny's juice, so-"

Lucas shook his head, starting to feel like he was invading on some private family moment. Here Jake was, preparing lunch for Peyton and his daughter. It had never even occurred to Lucas that making food for Peyton would be more comforting than bringing her out to eat.

Then again, one of his problems with his relationship with Peyton once they were in college was that Jake always seemed to know Peyton better than him, anyway.

"Anyway, so what's up with you, man?" Jake was asking, gesturing for Lucas to take a seat. "Peyton should be back in a few minutes. They were just running down the street..."

----

"No, you fool. What are you doing?" Becky was whining between giggles as she watched Nathan, shaking her head.

Nathan frowned a little as he looked up at her before returning his gaze to her lap, biting his lip as he tried to concentrate on the task at hand.

"Just squeeze them a little," Becky was instructing, and Nathan could tell by the sound of her voice that she'd brought her hand up to cover her mouth, presumably to hide her laughter, even though it wasn't doing much good. "No, move your hand a little lower."

He did as she said and he heard her breath hitch with excitement, but then his finger slipped and she groaned. "I swear you're just trying to tease me," she muttered, reaching down and placing her hand over his as she tried to manipulate his fingers.

Nathan laughed softly, shaking his head. "No, I really suck at this. I wasn't good at it when I'd try with Haley, either, but she was never this _mean_ about it," he told her with a pout, focusing on her hand over his. "You know, if anyone walked in right now…."

Becky just snickered, shaking her head a little. "Who are you kidding? Everyone here already assumes we're sleeping together, Nate. Because apparently a hot guy and a hot girl can't just be _friends._"

"Can they?" Nathan asked after a long moment, and Becky raised her gaze. He felt her pulling her hand away from his and he sighed. "Sorry, I didn't meant that the way it sounded. Just… lots of girls say my brother's hot, and Haley's just friends with him unless I've been incredibly oblivious all this time."

Becky rolled her eyes, placing her hand over his. "Thank God. I thought you were talking about us for a second, and that would've made this awkward. Now I'm gonna uncross them and show you how to do it right."

Nathan groaned, shaking his head. "I'm never going to get this, Becky. And seriously, like I started to say before the conversation derailed, if someone walked by right now this all would sound insanely dirty."

Becky scrunched up her nose, trying to figure out what he meant. "Huh?"

"You, me. This whole tutorial thing. My hands in your lap as you tell me you're going to uncross them and show me how it's done."

Becky groaned, slapping Nathan lightly in the stomach. "You're a pig, you know that? No wonder Haley dumped your scrawny little ass."

"Hey! My ass isn't scrawny. I work out for this ass-"

Becky raised an eyebrow, pulling the chopsticks out of his hand before he had a chance to protest and pretending to gouge him in the eyes with them. "Back to a fork for you." She gestured to the desk, which was so covered in paperwork there wasn't room to eat on it. "We can't waste an hour trying to teach you how to eat with chopsticks today. We really shouldn't even be taking a lunch break with all this work."

Nathan frowned, studying Becky for a minute. "Why do you help me so much?" he asked after a minute, his voice growing serious.

Becky shrugged, meeting his gaze with a small smile. "Because you're a good guy, Nate. And because my plan is that the minute you graduate law school you'll get promoted and make partner within a couple years. Then you can help me find my way up the ladder, too."

Nathan returned her smile after a minute, glancing over at the papers. "Does the paperwork get better or worse with each promotion?"

----

"Can we talk about something else? This is starting to get depressing," Haley asked Brooke after a few more minutes of rehashing her problems with Nathan, giving the brunette girl a small pout.

Brooke nodded, stretching out her limbs as she glanced around. "Yeah, sure. By the way, Haley, you guys sure did well for yourselves. This place is adorable, and the decorating seriously screams you. Although I think it could do with a little more purple."

Haley laughed quietly, glancing around. "Yeah… you would think that. Thanks, Brooke." Her gaze paused on the family portrait hanging over the fireplace, the very bottom of the frame tinged black from years of soot. No amount of dusting had ever helped. Now, though, having been so worked up over the dark edge on the frame seemed so stupid to her.

The picture itself hadn't been damaged, and while she'd been so worried about that, the family within it had shattered. She sighed, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she looked away, returning her gaze to Brooke a minute later. "So… we've been talking about me this whole time. What about you? You mentioned having a boyfriend… is he going to come visit?"

Brooke made a face, shaking her head after a couple seconds. "No, I don't think so. He's really busy right now, and even if he wasn't… Tree Hill's my past. I don't know if I want him to see it."

"Wow, I don't know if I should be insulted, or-"

"That's not what I meant, Haley!" Brooke cut in quickly, heaving a sigh. "I just mean… I haven't been back here in forever and I don't really intend to make a habit out of it, you know? My life's in Boston, now and it just seems pointless to drag him here."

"Right…" Haley really didn't get it.

Brooke sighed, meeting Haley's gaze seriously. "It took me long time to put… all of it behind me, Haley. I don't like who I was in high school. I'm not proud of the person I used to be… especially the person I was in relationships. You know that. So I don't see why I'd want to bring a _boy_ back here. It just seems like it's asking for trouble."

Haley nodded, acknowledging that at least _that_ part made sense to her. "Not every relationship you're in is going to be like your relationship with Lucas, Brooke," Haley pointed out, reaching over and giving Brooke a comforting pat on the back. "I mean, Lucas is one of my best friends but even I can see he's stupid."

Brooke frowned, shaking her head. "For what? Stupid's never a word I'd use to describe him."

Haley gave Brooke a small smile, meeting her friend's gaze. "For letting you go."

----

"You're the coolest. Dad would've told me that it has too much sugar in it," Jenny announced as she hopped out of the car with her bottle of juice, skipping toward the front door.

Peyton sat in the car for a minute, smiling as she watched the girl run to the door. She waited a couple minutes to get out, hoping Jake wouldn't mind too much. It was convenient that Jenny had waited to tell her that Jake wouldn't have allowed her to buy that juice until they were out of the store and all the way home, but Peyton wasn't surprised. After all, she'd been a kid once, too.

Finally getting out of the car and slamming the door shut behind her, Peyton approached the house, slipping inside as she glanced into the living room. "So, Jake, I decided to treat Jenny to a little something extra sweet," she called as she turned around to shut the door, jumping a little as she caught sight of Lucas in a chair in the corner. "…Hey."

Jake laughed as she jumped, gesturing for her to come over and join him in the couch. "Yeah… Lucas stopped by and I told him to wait since you'd be home any minute. Granted, I didn't realize at the time that it would take you guys twenty minutes to pick out juice… and what's this I hear about it being sweet?"

Peyton gestured for Jenny to hand the bottle over to her father, turning her attention to Lucas and giving him a small wave. "Hey… I didn't think I'd see you today. How'd your night go after I left?"

Lucas laughed and glanced over at Jenny, obviously surprised by how big she'd gotten. "My night?" he repeated after a second, glancing back at Peyton. "Uh, it was good. I walked Brooke home… she thought we were together."

Peyton stared at him for a minute, waiting for him to continue. She hadn't been able to understand where she stood with Lucas so far, so she was hoping whatever he said next would clarify things. When he didn't say anything, though, she sighed. "Oh… really?"

Lucas nodded, smiling amusedly and shaking his head. "Yeah… do you know if she has a boyfriend? My mom had mentioned something about one but apparently it isn't Paolo."

Peyton frowned a little but quickly hid it, wondering why she'd even reacted to his question at all. She was over Lucas, most definitely. They hadn't been together in years, and she'd managed to move on just fine. She blinked, shaking her head. "We don't talk much about that kind of thing. Our conversations are always a little on the shallow side, you know? I don't think she'll ever really let me in again," she mused.

Jake snickered, glancing between the two in amusement. "And you wonder why?" he teased with a laugh. Even though he hadn't been around for their senior year, Peyton had filled him in on a lot of the messy details. "But anyway… yeah, she does have a boyfriend. He has some foreign name… Lorenzo, I think," Jake added, almost as an afterthought.

Lucas and Peyton both blinked, turning their heads in Jake's direction. It was Peyton who smoke first her voice obviously a little surprised. "I didn't know you kept in contact with her, Jake."

"There's a lot about Dad you don't know, Aunty Peyton," Jenny piped in, coming over and sitting down on her dad's lap as she looked over at Peyton. "Like he's secretly in love with you!" she announced with a giggle, glancing between the adults with a grin. "Dad and Peyton sitting in a tree… K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, with a baby carriage!" She giggled, glancing around gleefully as she took in all of their expressions but gulping as she made eye contact with Jake. "…Oops. Was that supposed to be a secret?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine.**

Author's Note: For the purpose of clarification, in case you didn't get it from the dates, this whole chapter takes place about two years ago. For those even more detail oriented (like myself, luckily for you guys) the story's "present" is the early spring of 2013, so about five and a half years after the show lets off (presumably shortly before their freshman year of college starts, from what I've heard).

------

**January 18, 2011.**

Haley scurried around the kitchen as she tried to keep up with her young son and far too energetic husband, stifling a yawn. "It should be illegal to wake up before 6:00 on a Sunday morning," she muttered under her breath, setting a bowl of cereal down in front of James .

Nathan hopped around the kitchen island as he tried to get his running sneakers on, and Haley sighed and stepped closer to him so he could rest his hand on her shoulder for balance. It was a weird part o their morning routine. "I'm gonna go for a jog… could you wait to do laundry until after I get a chance to shower?" he asked as he bent over to tie his shoes.

With a sigh, Haley nodded, glancing in the direction of the laundry room. "Maybe we could do laundry together today?" she asked hopefully, biting her lip. The laundry had really piled up and she wasn't looking forward to it.

Nathan laughed quietly, straightening up and leaning over and giving Haley a quick peck on the lips. "You're funny this morning," he told her with a grin, glancing over at James before wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I wasn't joking. I could really use your help, and you don't have classes or work today, so it would be really nice-" she started, but he cut her off with a finger against her lips.

"Tell you what," he murmured, pulling her a little closer and dropping his head into the crook of her neck. "I'll help you with laundry if you'll… reward me afterward," he compromised, kissing the sensitive skin on her neck.

Haley shivered a little and jumped as she remembered James was in the room, glancing over at her son, relieved to see that his attention was entirely in his food. "Nathan, what about James?"

"My mom's been asking to see him. I'm sure she wouldn't mind watching him for a couple hours," he responded softly, pulling back and studying her for a minute.

"Your mom's a drunk," she pointed out. Her tone wasn't accusatory; she was just stating the facts.

Nathan shrugged. "Yeah, but she's trying. She hasn't had a drink in almost three weeks."

Haley bit her bottom lip, glancing over at James. "I don't know. I'm not really comfortable leaving him with her, not if no one else is going to be there."

Nathan sighed, but he nodded after a moment, pulling away. He glanced over at James and then back at her for a minute, searching her gaze. "What would you think about having another?" he asked quietly, reaching up and caressing the side of her face with his hand.

"Another what?" Haley asked in confusion, trying not to roll her eyes at Nathan's actions. He only seemed to be so affectionate when he thought he was going to get laid lately.

"Another… kid," he expanded, smiling. "I mean, I think we've done pretty well with this one, and you liked being part of a big family… I never liked being an only child. Well, sort of an only child."

Haley's eyes widened as she realized the enormity of the discussion they'd just embarked on, not sure what to say. "Uh-"

Nathan shrugged, leaning over and giving her another quick kiss. "Well, think about it. We can talk while we do laundry," he said before turning on his heel and jogging out of the house.

Haley stared after him, her jaw dropping. Had he seriously just asked her if she wanted another _kid_ and then… left? Just like that? She shook her head, glancing over at James and sighing.

-----

"Mmmph, what time is it?" Peyton asked groggily, rolling over in bed and hitting Jake in the chest. "I can't believe I fell asleep."

Jake groaned, pushing her hand off of his chest and lifting his head a little to look at the clock. "Uh, almost 8:00. What time did you say Lucas was coming down?" He stretched his tired limbs, obviously realizing he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep.

"Shit," Peyton muttered, sitting bolt upright in bed and glancing around the room in confusion. "I can't believe I- I slept for four and a half hours. Shit, he said he'd be getting here by 8:30!"

Jake groaned, bringing his hands to his face. "There's no way-"

"I know," Peyton interrupted him, jumping from the bed and looking around wildly as she pulled her skirt on, not even bothering to find her underwear. "Have you seen my bra?" she asked, running her hands through her nervously.

Jake sighed, gesturing toward the lamp on his bureau. A red lace balconet bra hung from the lampshade.

Peyton sighed, snatching the bra from the lamp and putting it on quickly. "He's totally going to know," she worried anxiously, glancing over at Jake.

"Yeah, if you go back like that he will," Jake replied, shaking his head. "At least shower, Peyton. You're already going to be late, and if he can smell sex on you, you won't even have the chance to explain."

She froze, glancing down at her clothes and groaning as she realized he was right. "I can't believe this is happening," she mumbled, biting her lip nervously.

She'd never expected _any _of this to happen. This thing with Jake hadn't been something she'd planned for a long shot, or even something she necessarily wanted. She'd just… fallen into it, and for some reason it wasn't so easy to stop it.

"Yeah… I- I think I'll go shower," she mumbled, forcing a small smile as she looked at Jake. She'd need the time in the shower to think of an excuse to tell Lucas, anyway. She wasn't going to lose him over an episode of meaningless sex.

-----

Brooke boarded the bus amid a sea of weary travelers, pasting a smile on to her face. She'd learned a long time ago that people were nicer to you when you smiled, so she made a point of always being the most vibrant and bouncy person in a room. It was more difficult in moments like this one, where her feet were aching and she was facing the daunting possibility of having to _stand_ on a bus for hours.

She scrunched up her nose, wondering how long buses had been allowed to overbook. She'd thought it was scary that buses didn't have seatbelts, but this was just ridiculous.

Gripping the edge of the nearest seat, she pulled out her iPod as the bus started to move, skipping to Haley's newest song which she'd promised to listen to before the day was over. The songs were hardly studio quality since Haley had given up on that dream long ago. Instead, Haley would sing into her computer microphone and upload them for family and friends on the website she'd created for her son to share his pictures with everyone.

She closed her eyes, focusing on the music as she tried to hear it over the static typical of one of Haley's cheap recordings. Only a few seconds later, the bus lurched around a corner and she found herself falling. She didn't hit the ground as expected, though; instead her fall was broken by someone's lap.

She laughed in embarrassment, getting up quickly from the person's lap. "I'm so sorry," she started as she turned around to meet the person's gaze. "Apparently my balance isn't so gr-" She broke off as her gaze connected with the man's, grinning.

He was _cute, _and the personification of that "tall, dark and handsome" cliché. He had soft dark brown hair, a few shades darker than her own, and dark, electrifying blue eyes. Judging from the way he was sitting, she figured he must've been about six and a half feet tall, and it was clear from the way his shirt fit that it was all sinew. "…Hey," she greeted him with a flirty smile, her gaze dropping to his hands to make sure there wasn't a ring. He looked pretty young, but if there was one thing Nathan and Haley had taught her, age didn't mean much. "I'm Brooke."

The guy gave her a small smile, holding out his hand. "Lorenzo Botticelli. Glad to be at your service, Brooke."

"Botticelli… like the artist?" she asked as she shook his hand, letting it stay in his a little too long before pulling it away.

Lorenzo's smile widened, showing off the most perfect teeth Brooke had ever seen in her life. _He should be a movie star or something._ "Just like him, actually. He's my great-great-great-great… tack on lots of greats and add grandfather."

Brooke pursed her lips, not sure she believed him. "Uh-huh."

Lorenzo grinned, shaking his head. "Not really, although you wouldn't believe how many people fall for that. I wonder how many people think every John Smith is the same person."

"Or dated Pocahontas," Brooke chimed in with a laugh.

Lorenzo returned the laugh, shaking his head a little. "They didn't actually date. That's just the Disney version."

Brooke blushed, biting her bottom lip. "Oh…"

He nodded, glancing out the window as New York City whizzed past them. "So are you from here or Boston?" he asked after a minute, studying her. "Most people I can tell. You… not so much."

She shrugged, glancing out the window before meeting his gaze. "Neither," she said simply, giving him a small smile but not expanding.

----

While Nathan had been out for his jog, Karen had dropped by on her way to the grocery store to ask Nathan and Haley if they needed anything. Haley had quickly seized on the opportunity to arrange a play date between James and Alana, and Karen had willingly obliged, taking James along with her.

It had set the rest of the day in motion, and in this moment Haley definitely wanted to pat herself on the back for a job well done. "So," she spoke up after a minute, clearing her throat as she closed the bathroom door behind her. Nathan had already gotten into the shower, so she had to shout to be heard over the water. "I was thinking…"

"Yeah, and?" Nathan asked as he tried to redirect the showerhead to the side of the shower so he could hear her better.

Haley grinned, dropping her hands down to the front of her pants and unbuttoning her jeans, kicking them off. "That's all you have to say? Yeah, and?" she asked with a laugh as she pulled her sweater over her head. "You lay a huge decision on me, leave for a run, and then say _"yeah, and?"_ when I tell you I've considered it?" She clucked her tongue as she slipped out of her undergarments.

"Well, it seemed an appropriate way to get you to keep talking..." Nathan groaned as he gave up on trying to quiet the water. "Can we talk about this after my shower, Hales? I thought we were going to talk about it over laundry, anyway."

Haley laughed, studying his body through the glass door. It concealed the details, causing him to look more like a sloppy watercolor or something. "I don't think that would work," she said after a long moment, opening up the door.

"What are you doing?" Nathan practically screeched, "You're gonna get the floor, wet, Ha-" He broke off suddenly as his eyes fell on her body, quickly dropping down. "Wh-?"

Haley grinned, pushing him back into the shower and climbing in with him. She pulled him into a tight embrace, reaching behind her with one arm to close the shower door. "The floor's a pain to mop," she explained casually.

Nathan frowned, cocking his head to the side as his eyes traveled back down to study her body. "What are you doing?" he asked in confusion.

Haley tilted her head up, laying a soft kiss on his lips. "I figured your shower would be the perfect time for us to start trying for that baby," she whispered against his lips.

----

Peyton rushed back to her dorm room, even though by the time she got back it was nearly 10:00 and she was more than a little late. When she opened the door, she found Lucas lying across her bed, half asleep. Her roommate must've let him in, even though the other girl wasn't present at the moment.

She sighed, closing the door softly. "…Hey." She bit her lip, pretty sure he'd be mad at her.

Lucas sat up after a minute, giving her a wary smile. "Hi. I was starting to think you'd skipped town on me," joked, climbing down off her bed and pulling her into a hug. "I'm happy you're okay."

She blinked, a little surprised by the lack of a lecture. "Yeah… I'm fine. I just spaced out. I passed out last night at my friend's doing a project for one of my classes, and by the time I woke up it was… well, late, obviously." She was a little unnerved by how easily that lie slipped out.

"It's alright. Did you get the project done?"

Peyton bit her lip, forcing herself to nod. "Yeah… yeah, I did." She felt sick to her stomach; she and Lucas had been together for the last three and a half years, even if it was pretty on and off, and she'd never had to lie to him like this before. She didn't like it at all.

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't skip town," Lucas told her with an easygoing smile, gesturing to a folder on her desk. "A girl in one of your classes dropped that off about an hour ago. Said you needed to look at it ASAP or you'd fail some assignment due this Friday."

Her eyes widened as she grabbed the folder, already starting to freak out. Friday was only three days away, and completing a project for any of her art classes in that amount of time was nearly impossible. "Luke, I don't know what to tell you. I might not be able to hang out much, after all," she started, her voice trailing off as she opened the folder to see its contents.

Inside the folder was a sole sketch of a hand, palm up, holding out small jewelry box with an absolutely gorgeous ring inside it, obviously of a man proposing. "I don't get it," she frowned, trying to think of what class it could be for. "Did the girl give you a name?" she asked, spinning around to look at Lucas.

He was kneeling in front of her, one knee on the floor and an open box in his hand, the ring inside it identical to the one in the sketch. "Be my wife," he proposed quietly.

Peyton brought a hand to her mouth in shock, staring down at the ring. Her gaze flickered back over to the sketch, suddenly realizing that it was the handiwork of her conveniently absent roommate. "Oh my God," she muttered, shaking her head.

She couldn't do this. She wasn't ready for this. Hell, she was late because she'd been _cheating_ on him. Even if the sex hadn't meant anything, it still clearly meant she wasn't ready to be Mrs. Lucas Scott. "No," she muttered, pushing his hand away. "No," she repeated more forcefully, a tear slipping down her cheek.

Lucas stared at her, slack-jawed, before gradually climbing up off his knees. "Oh," he said quietly, glancing toward the door.

Peyton dropped her gaze to the floor, knowing that that single word- "no" – had just ended the best relationship in her life. She gulped, glancing over at him. "You- you can leave," she mumbled, bringing her hand to her cheeks to wipe away her tears.

She wasn't at all surprised when he took her up on that offer.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** I wanted to apologize for the delay in getting a new chapter up for you. I've had this written for weeks but I've been dealing with a lot at home, so this wasn't on my mind. In addition, the alert system on this site wasn't working so I didn't want to upload something when all of you who have subscribed to alerts would be oblivious it had been updated. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Ten.**

After leaving Haley's a few hours after she'd arrived, Brooke had decided to head back to Karen's Café for an afternoon pick me up and to see if she could bump into Lucas and compare notes on Nathan and Haley. She still felt like she'd missed _something _during her talk with Haley, like something was off and she hadn't been able to figure out exactly what.

She was hoping that Lucas, having been Haley's best friend and confidante for… pretty much ever- would have a better idea.

When she got to Karen's, though, Lucas was nowhere to be found. "He's probably off with Peyton," she mused, trying not to be bothered by the idea of him and Peyton getting back together. She flushed as she noticed Karen walking in her direction, hoping the older woman hadn't heard what she'd said. "Heeey…"

Karen gave Brooke a small wave as she came to a stop next to her table, cocking her head to the side. "Are you here as a customer, or as my son's ex-girlfriend, or as my friend?" she asked with a laugh.

Broke made a face, considering. "A little of all three?" she asked after a minute, shrugging. "I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee and a cookie, but I'd like some girl talk, too."

"Where's the Lucas part come in?"

Brooke shrugged, glancing down at the table. "I guess it's less about me being his and me… trying to be his friend? Or at least acknowledging that we have a mutual interest- Haley- and that we both want to see her happy?"

Karen pursed her lips and nodded, giving Brooke a small smile. "You've really grown into yourself, Brooke," she said softly before getting up to get Brooke her food.

Brooke frowned, trying to figure out what Peyton meant by that as she watched the woman prepare her coffee. She didn't have much time, though, since Karen was back within a matter of minutes. "What did you mean I've grown into myself?" Brooke asked, unable to help it. She wasn't even sure if it was a compliment.

With a smile, Karen explained, "It was always a feeling I got from you. That you were… more mature than most of the people around you."

Brooke scoffed, bringing a hand up to her mouth. "_Me?_ More mature?"

Karen shrugged, studying Brooke. "That's part of it, actually. Most people your age like to think they're more mature than they are, and you never did. Out of all my son's friends and girlfriends, I think you're the only one I remember who ever… wanted to enjoy being a kid, a teenager."

Brooke paused, considering this. "I still don't get how that makes me mature, though."

Karen just laughed, shaking her head. "Well, Brooke, if I'd had a friend like you when I was in high school and when I was pregnant with Lucas, I think I would've been a lot happier back then."

Brooke smiled widely, doubting Karen understood just how big of a compliment that was to her.

----

Peyton laughed uncomfortably as she glanced over at Jake, clearing her throat. He wasn't meeting her gaze, so what Peyton was originally ready to write off as a random, childish outburst, suddenly seemed much bigger than that. She cleared her throat uncomfortably, glancing over at Lucas.

Lucas frowned, glancing down at his wrist. "Oh, look at the time!" he announced suddenly, and Peyton couldn't help but notice he didn't actually have a watch on. "I- I gotta get going. So… see you guys later?" He was practically out the door before either of them had a chance to reply. Jenny, on the other hand, gave him a small wave.

Clearing her throat, Peyton turned to look at Jenny. "Hey, could you do me a favor? How 'bout you go upstairs for a few minutes and pick which room you want to sleep in, alright?" She watched Jenny as she darted off, obviously relieved to be free of the awkward conversation.

Jake didn't glance up for another minute or two, giving Peyton an uncomfortable smile. "Kids… huh?"

Peyton laughed awkwardly, bringing her hands to her face and studying him for a minute. "Yeah…" She bit her lip, feeling a little like she was going to pass out. This whole scenario was awkward. Sure, there'd been plenty of times over the years where she'd wondered if she and Jake could ever have a more serious relationship, but she hadn't expected it to become an issue _now_, and she certainly hadn't expected it to unfold like this. "So… was what she said true?" she asked softly after a minute.

Jake stared at her and swallowed, taking a deep breath. "Which part? Because we have kissed, but not in a tree, and there's no marriage or a baby carriage," he joked lamely, obviously uncomfortable.

Peyton gave him a soft smile, glancing down at her hands for a minute. "You know what I mean," she returned with a shrug.

"Then…" Jake studied her for a minute before dropping his gaze to the floor, nodding slightly. "Then yeah. I-I guess it is."

For a couple seconds, she forgot to breathe. "R-really?" she asked, her voice sounding more nervous than she'd intended. Looking at him, she wouldn't be surprised if his palms were sweating.

Jake nodded, looking up at her. His gaze was obviously pained. "Yeah, but… look, Peyton. I know this could make things awkward but you know I'm your friend, right? It doesn't have to mean anything if you don't want it to."

Peyton gulped, forcing a small smile. "Right."

The problem was, she wasn't sure whether or not she wanted it to mean something.

----

"Um, Haley James… Scott. I have an appointment with Dr. Lee," Haley spoke quietly to the receptionist, glancing around the clinic. She was a little paranoid, even though she knew it was unlikely she'd run into anyone in the middle of the day here.

"Haley… James… Scott," the woman muttered, searching for her name on the records. "Alright. Take a seat and the doctor will be with you in just a couple minutes, Mrs. Scott."

Haley nodded, going over to the waiting area and picking up a magazine without checking the time. She flipped through it absent-mindedly, not paying any attention. She frowned as her eyes fell on picture in the magazine, frowning a little and flipping it closed to look at the cover.

_Fit Pregnancy._ She sighed, shaking her head a little and setting the magazine back down, unable to believe the universe's strange way of screwing with her.

Instead, she closed her eyes as she waited for the doctor to come out, figuring she shouldn't try her luck with another magazine. The way her day was going, it would be _Healthy Baby_ or something equally as crazy.

"Haley?" came a voice a couple minutes later, and she glanced up to see a short woman in a white coat standing in the doorway to the medical offices.

Haley nodded, standing up quickly and instantly regretting it as a wave of nausea hit. She swallowed, standing still for a minute until it passed before following Dr. Lee into one of the small rooms.

"Haley," the doctor was saying as Haley sat down on the gray recliner. "So… you think you're pregnant," she summarized, checking her notes. "And your son was born five years ago, right?

"Uh, five and a half. Actually, almost six. He'll be six in June," Haley told her, scooting back in the chair.

The doctor nodded, consulting her chart. "It says here that you were trying to conceive a while with no luck? There aren't really any details… your last doctor didn't make many notes, actually."

Haley nodded, crossing her legs as she looked up at Dr. Lee. "Yeah, uh, there isn't much to say. We tried for about a year and a half… after the first year we went to a fertility specialist in Raleigh. Dr. Wilson?" Haley shrugged. "Anyway, he told us that there was nothing wrong with either of us, at least not physically. Told us we just had to try not to stress too much."

Dr. Lee nodded, glancing over at Haley. "That's easier said than done, huh?"

Haley rolled her eyes, agreeing, "Yeah. With James, we didn't _try_ to conceive. I was still in high school… I actually went into labor with him during my graduation, like something out of a bad movie."

"Any medications?"

Haley shrugged. "Just Clomid. He said it was to check my… ovary reserves or something?" She bit her lip, glancing up at Dr. Lee. "I've been off it for a while, now, though. My husband and I recently separated."

Dr. Lee nodded, making a note on her file. "Alright, Haley. I'm just going to do a test to confirm your pregnancy, and then we can talk about your options."

----

Silence at the office was always bad, especially when Becky was sitting across from him. Nathan had learned quite a while ago that Becky was at her most dangerous when not talking a mile a minute. He glanced over at her, frowning. "What's on your mind?"

Becky glanced up, shrugging. "You should call her."

Nathan didn't need to ask "who" to know who she was talking about. He sighed, setting his pen down and looking at her. "Why? She's the one who decided to end things and she's the one who wants this divorce, so why should _I _be the one to try to stop it?"

Arching an eyebrow, Becky studied him. "You realize you sound like a kid, right? How old is your son?"

Nathan scoffed, shaking his head. "He's five, but that's not the point. I'm not the one who made this mess, and I'm not going to be the one to pick up the phone and beg her to take me back. You have no idea how much begging I've done in my life."

Becky rolled her eyes, poking Nathan in the arm with her pen. "Oh, come on. You don't know that you didn't make this mess. I mean, obviously she's pissed at you for something. Do you really want to get divorced over some… miscommunication when it may not even be necessary?"

"Who says it wouldn't be necessary?" Nathan grumbled, glancing up at Becky. "Let's say it is miscommunication. Then at the very least she's jumped to conclusions and assumed the worst about me. I don't see why I should be cool with that. And I definitely don't see why I should be the one to approach her."

Becky was quiet for a minute, and then she reached over suddenly and stabbed Nathan with the pen again, this time not pulling it right away. "Because you're supposed to be a responsible adult and you made a commitment to her? For better or worse? Because marriage is more important than some screwed up sense of pride? Take you pick."

Nathan glared at her, pushing the pen away and shaking his head. "If she wants to talk, she can come to me. I'm always the one taking the first step and apologizing, even when it's not all my fault. It's not fair."

"It's not _fair?_" Becky mimicked, laughing rudely. "Jesus, Nathan, I thought I signed on to work for an adult. When is life ever fair?"

----

Having a five year old hanging from your leg and sitting on your foot definitely made it a little more difficult to walk. Lucas sighed, glancing down at his little sister and shaking his head. "Do you really need to sit like that?" he asked after a minute, stooping down in an effort to get Alana to stand up.

Instead, he was greeted with a giggle and a swat as she pushed his hands away, nodding. "Yeah, it's fun! It feels like I'm being carried away by a giant," she explained with a gleeful squeal, wrapping her legs around his.

Lucas shook his head, forcing his leg along as he stepped into Karen's Café. "Mom, this is the last time I pick her up for you," he joked, depositing his sister on the floor next to the table his mom was sitting with Brooke at and giving the women a small smile. "Man, it seems like every time I come in here you two are talking. If I was a more paranoid person, I'd worry you were talking about me," he only half-joked, sitting down next to Brooke as Alana made herself comfortable next to their mom.

"Well, it's good to see your ego hasn't gotten any smaller," Brooke snorted, giving Alana a small smile. "Aw, I see the Scotts have a new record for prettiest person ever," she giggled, giving the little girl a small wave. "I'm Brooke. I used to know you when you were just a little tiny baby."

Alana grinned, glancing up at Lucas. "She's pretty," she announced decisively, returning Brooke's wave. "Hi," she added shyly.

"Aww, thanks," Brooke replied with a laugh, glancing between the family members.

Karen cleared her throat, gently pushing Alana to get up. "Alana, Mommy needs your help setting up the biscotti for the afternoon rush," she told her daughter as she got up, taking Alana by the hand and leading her away.

Lucas groaned, lowering his head into his hands. "She's… subtle."

Brooke laughed, glancing at Karen for a second before returning her gaze to Lucas. "Yeah… so, uh, do you live with your mom? It occurred to me that you're the only one that I don't have a clue where you live."

Lucas glanced up at her, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact you've been carefully avoiding me for the past five years?"

Brooke flushed, glancing down at her hands and squeezing them together. "Yeeeah… about that…"

With a shrug, Lucas told her, "Don't worry about it. I get it." He paused for a second, glancing over at her. "Come on," he said suddenly, standing up and offering his hand. "I'll show you where I live."

She looked up at him dubiously, then glanced down at his hand. She took a deep breath, hesitantly taking his hand and letting him pull her up. "Okay," she said softly, her voice barely audible.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **I'm so, so sorry about the length of time between updates! My life has just been so crazy lately. I have the next few chapters written though, so I promise at least one more update this week. Review and let me know what you think. It always helps my motivation. :-)

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**Chapter Eleven.**

After college, Lucas had picked out a small apartment right down the street from Tree Hill High. It wasn't much, basically just an oversized room that acted as both a living room and kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. It was enough for him, though.

He didn't usually bring people back here, well aware that there wasn't really much room for socializing. It was definitely a little weird to have Brooke here, and even though he was proud of his little apartment, he found that her opinion mattered to him much more than it should.

"So what do you think?" he asked after a long moment, giving her a small smile as he leaned against the wall and studied her expression. "I know it's probably nothing like your digs up in Boston, but I kind of like it."

Brooke laughed, glancing around. "My digs up in Boston?" she repeated with a wry smile, rolling her eyes. "I don't even have a place of my own, so I'd say you definitely have one up on me there. I live with my boyfriend."

He paused, a little shocked by her words even though he'd heard repeatedly that she had a boyfriend. "Boyfriend?" he repeated, trying to keep the discomfort out of his voice. "I think my mom mentioned someone, or maybe it was Haley…"

She shrugged, glancing up at him. "Lorenzo. He's in real estate, and he scored this gorgeous penthouse a few years back. I moved in after I graduated."

Lucas nodded slightly, finding himself more uncomfortable with the idea of her living with this boyfriend than he'd expected to be. Then again, it had never occurred to him that things were serious enough between her and this guy that they'd be living together in the first place. "Well, it sounds like you're doing pretty well for yourself," he said after a long minute, sitting down on the couch.

Following his lead, Brooke sat down on the other end, smiling a little. "Yeah… I guess I am," she mused happily, glancing over at Lucas. "My fashion line's doing pretty well. It was some pretty hard sailing at first but I think I'm getting the hang of it. I didn't know it would be so… cutthroat."

He laughed, shaking his head a little. Brooke had always underestimated her own abilities, so he wasn't at all surprised she'd "gotten the hang of it." That was one of the things he'd always admired about her. He cleared his throat, studying her for a minute. "So you and this… Lorenzo guy have been together for a while, huh?"

Brooke's smile faltered for a second and she nodded, glancing up to meet Lucas' gaze. "Yeah… a little over two years now."

"And you're happy?" He had a strange feeling of déjà vu but he forced it to the back of his mind.

She paused for a second, considering, and her smile slowly spread over her face. "Yeah. Yeah, I really am, Lucas."

Lucas forced a smile of his own, wondering if he was a horrible person for not enjoying her happiness. He didn't like that another guy was the source of it.

.  
. 

Haley stared at her reflection in the mirror, slowly turning sideways and looking at her body carefully. She knew it was crazy to even consider the possibility she could already be showing, but this pregnancy just had her on high alert.

James was going to be home any minute, and she knew she had to act like nothing was going on. After all, apparently kids were more observant than she gave them credit for.

She sighed, bringing a hand down to her stomach and glancing down at her belly. "Baby, what am I going to do with you?" she asked softly, biting her bottom lip. "I wanted you for so long- _we_ wanted you- and I guess all those sayings about things happening when you least expect them to are true, huh?" She shook her head, stepping away from the mirror and crossing her room to sit down on the corner of her bed.

Her hand still on her stomach, she continued to talk, half to herself and half to the life growing inside of you. "You know, whenever I thought you telling your daddy about you, this wasn't the scenario I imagined. I had it all planned out. After I found out you were in my tummy, I was going to go shopping. I'd buy little baby booties and bottles and receiving blankets and that kind of thing. I was going to put them all over the house. I'd hang some booties from the mirror in the car, put a receiving blanket in our bed… I wanted to surprise your daddy."

She let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. "The funny thing is, though, baby, I can be pretty sure he'll be surprised regardless, now. I know I sure was."

Her rambling was interrupted by a door slamming downstairs and James' voice calling for her. She glanced over at the clock, not at all surprised that another mother in their carpool system had gotten him home right on time. Usually, she couldn't wait for him to get home, but today was a little different.

Today, James' presence meant she'd have to be fake. Haley James-Scott had never been much of an actress, regardless of what Nathan wanted to claim. "I'm up here, James!" she called, moving her hand away from her stomach and running it through her hair.

She stood up after a minute as she heard James' little feet bounding up the stairs, taking a deep breath to collect herself and doing her best to act like the same mom she was every other day of the year.

.  
. 

The best way to get rid of a hangover wasn't coffee or any special hangover concoction. Nathan knew what the best way to get rid of a hangover was, and after work was out for the day he made his way right over to Sparky's, a local bar, and ordered some Jack Daniels.

Sure, it might not be the _smartest_ way to deal with a hangover, but it was definitely the most fun. And besides, it wasn't like being sober was a walk in the park right about now, anyway.

It didn't take long until he was seeing three glasses in front of him instead of just the one. Swaying back and forth a little in his chair, he pushed the empty glass away, looking up at the bartender. "Another!"

The bartender gave him an amused smile and shook her head. "I think I'm going to have to cut you off, considering most of the last one ended up in your lap instead of your mouth."

Nathan frowned a little, glancing down at his pants. "Huh," he muttered, a little surprised to find that they were, indeed, wet. He didn't really remember spilling that much. He returned his gaze to the bartender, cocking his head to the side and nearly falling off his stool due to the shift in his balance. "Woah…" Putting his hands on top of the bar to steady himself, he told her, "You seem too innocent to work in a place like this. I bet you had dreams. Bet you had _big_ dreams."

The bartender looked at him in amusement, shrugging. "It's a paycheck, and right about now my dream is turning that paycheck into groceries."

"That's the sucky thing about growing up," Nathan slurred, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her. "Did you want to be a singer? Man, if you want to be a singer you should go after it. Don't let any grocery list stop you. Otherwise you'll end up bitter and just hating that grocery list."

With a frown, the bartender leaned over a little, saying softly, "Why do I have a feeling we aren't actually talking about my grocery list?"

Nathan ignored her question, continuing, "And one day you'll wake and realize that grocery list isn't good enough for you. You have fish sticks on that grocery list, and what you really want is caviar. But your life now- this job- you can't get that caviar. So you're gonna end up wanting to get rid of that grocery list. You're gonna- you're gonna want to divorce it."

"Ah, girl problems," the bartender responded with a roll of her eyes, reaching over quickly to steady Nathan as he started to lean too far to one side of his stool again. "Is there anyone I can call to come get you? Or do you want me to call a cab?"

As the woman pushed Nathan's body quickly back into the center of the stool, Nathan felt his stomach flip as the not so fun part of drunkenness started to catch up with him. With a groan, he set his head down on the bar, muttering, "Call my wife. She can't get rid of her fish sticks that easy."

.  
. 

Having one of your best friends admit he was basically in love with you really set the tone for the night… in this case, awkward. Both Peyton and Jake were trying to act like nothing had happened and failing miserably.

Jenny had gone upstairs to play on Jake's laptop, and Peyton and Jake had settled in for a movie night like they'd done hundreds of times before. This time it was different, though.

Every time their elbows touched or their hands met in the popcorn, an electric charge rushed through Peyton's body, quickly replaced with the type of awkwardness she hadn't experienced since high school.

"God, I love this movie," Jake was saying, even though Peyton was pretty sure he hadn't been paying attention to it anymore than she had. His arm was resting on top of the couch as opposed to over her shoulders like it usually did, and she wasn't cuddled against his chest like she usually was.

"Mmm, me, too," she mumbled, glancing blankly at the screen without even bothering to focus her gaze or listen to what was happening. She opened her mouth to talk but closed it again abruptly. She gulped, forcing out a quiet "Jake?"

Right when she thought she'd gotten away with saying it so softly he hadn't heard, he responded. "…Yeah?" His voice sounded a little weary and even more strained.

She bit her lip, not really sure what she'd planned on saying, or what she wanted to say not that she'd started this conversation. It was a tragedy she hadn't continued doing her stretches after cheerleading ended because this certainly would've been the perfect occasion to put her foot in her mouth. "Uh… about what happened earlier," she hedged quietly, glancing down at her hands.

Jake didn't say anything, but she could feel his gaze on her, burning a hole in the side of her face.

"I just… I don't want things to be weird between us." She paused, forcing herself to look up at him. "I don't know. I just- I'm not sure if I'm… ready for something with you. With anyone, really. All this stuff with my father-"

"I get it, Peyton," Jake interrupted soothingly, reaching up and pressing his index finger against her lips. "I never meant to pressure you," he added softly, searching her eyes.

Peyton nodded slightly, her gaze locking with his and gulping as she got sucked into his intense gaze. "Y- you didn't," she assured him, stuttering a little.

Jake nodded, leaning toward her slightly but stopping the movement, obviously not about to initiate anything. "…Good," he whispered, brushing his thumb over her bottom lip.

Her gaze dropped to his fingers against her lips, taking a shaky breath. That was one of the things she liked most about Jake. He'd never tried to pressure her, and he'd never once taken advantage of her when she was hurt or vulnerable, like so many other people had.

As soon as the thought occurred to her, she realized her mind was made up. Closing the distance between them, she pressed her lips lightly against his. It wasn't much of a kiss, lacking any form of intensity or passion, but it was a promise of… something. She wasn't really sure what yet.

.  
. 

Brooke kicked off her shoes before drawing her legs up to her chest as she glanced up at Lucas with a small smile. Over the course of their conversation, they'd gradually drawn closer so they were now sitting next to each other instead of on opposite ends of the couch.

She was sort of surprised by how comfortable she felt with him. She'd figured that things would be more awkward, more tense, given everything they'd been through and all the years of avoidance. Granted, their conversation had remained relatively light, but it still surprised her that she was at ease talking to him at all.

She certainly hadn't expected that. "This is nice," she said after a long moment, biting her lip and looking up at him. Us. I mean, being able to talk like this."

Lucas gave her a small smile, nodding. "Yeah… it is. I'm kind of surprised, though. I didn't think you wanted to talk to me. Actually, I'm a guy so I'm kind of oblivious to that stuff… or at least I was until my mom kindly pointed out to me that you'd stayed in contact with pretty much everyone in Tree Hill _but_ me."

Brooke winced, meeting his gaze cautiously. "Yeeeah, about that. I just- I don't know. I felt like I needed to move on… move past that. And I didn't really see myself being able to do that if you were still in my life, I guess."

"What? Move past me?" Lucas asked curiously, crossing his arms over his chest as he studied her. "I guess I never realized that you weren't past me. I always figured… well, when you told me to go to Peyton after that game, I assumed you were over me."

Letting out an awkward laugh, Brooke glanced down at her knees for a second before looking up again, shaking her head slightly. "Nah… but I realized we would never be what I had been hoping for, and Peyton- well, I knew she was into you."

There was an awkward, thick silence that settled over the room for a minute, until Lucas cleared his throat and finally spoke up. "So let me get this straight. You weren't over me but you set me up with your friend- with _Peyton._ After everything- oh, man, Brooke…"

She shrugged, giving him a small, sad smile. "I guess some part of me hoped you wouldn't go to her," she admitted after a minute, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. "Stupid, I know, but I just… I was a different person in high school… one I've purposely worked hard to put behind me for just that reason, really."

Lucas paused, glancing up at her. "You were a good person in high school, Brooke. Well, most of the time."

Brooke sighed, shaking her head. "That's not it, Lucas. It wasn't like that. It was… I was so jealous of Peyton. I didn't trust you, and even though you guys definitely proved I shouldn't have, I didn't have a reason to be that cynical so young. And I just… I lost myself. I let you guys screw with my mood and my self-worth so much that I _hated_ myself at the end of the day."

Lucas lapsed into another silence, although this one wasn't quite as awkward as the last. After a long moment, he mumbled, "I'm sorry."

Brooke blinked, letting out a dry laugh. She'd spent _years_ waiting for those words, and now they just sounded so… empty. An apology didn't fix everything that was broken. It didn't magically solve all the problems he'd created in her life. It didn't take back the years it had taken her to cure herself of him.

And it definitely didn't make her feel good. If anything, it made her feel like she was back in high school, and that _definitely_ wasn't a positive experience. She sighed, standing up. It had been all the reality check she needed. She was twenty-three now, not the sixteen year old girl who needed a boy to tell her she meant something. She didn't need to hear his apology to know she was worth it, to know she deserved to be treated better.

"I gotta go, Lucas," she murmured, giving him a small, awkward wave. "It's… been real," she added after a second, shaking her head and smiling a little to herself before heading out.

.  
. 

To say Haley was pissed off when she got a phone call from a freaking _bartender_ on the other side of town that her husband was drunk and asking for her would be the understatement of the century.

It was typical Nathan, only thinking of himself. It didn't matter that _she'd_ be the one carting a five year old around to pick up his drunk-off-his-ass father, which was something she definitely didn't want her son to see in the first place. And it didn't matter that she was pregnant and still had to deal with this stuff. Sure, Nathan didn't actually know about the pregnancy, but she didn't see why she couldn't hold him responsible, anyway!

After making sure James was safely buckled into his booster seat, she sped off, entertaining herself during the drive to Sparky's by thinking of creative ways to kill Nathan.

When she reached the bar, her favorite way was to remove his brain by breaking his eardrum and the surrounding area and pulling his brain out with tweezers. She'd even "compromised," considering the possibility of not killing him and instead just giving him a lobotomy. That way, her son wouldn't be an orphan and she could avoid serious jail time, _and_ Nathan wouldn't drink anymore!

Slamming the door shut as she climbed out of the car, she went around to the back seat of the van and quickly pulled James out of his booster seat, balancing him on her hip as she stomped toward the door to Sparky's. Sure, he was old enough to walk but there was no was she was letting her son actually walk into that place.

Her anger started to fade, at least a little bit, almost the second she saw Nathan. He was sprawled across the bar, his face turned away from them and rambling nonsensically to the obviously annoyed bartender.

"Nathan," Haley greeted him uncomfortably, shifting James on her hip in an attempt to keep her son from seeing his father like this. "Get up."

Well, he certainly listened a lot better when he was drunk in a bar than he did when he was sober at home. Nearly falling off the stool, he draped an arm around her waist, leaning heavily against her. "Haley!" he greeted her, as if he was just registering that it was her, and Haley instantly felt queasy as the alcohol on his breath invaded her senses.

"Let's get you out of here," she muttered, shooting the bartender an apologetic look before she turned her attention back to Nathan, leading him out of the bar slowly by the elbow.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

* * *

Brooke returned to her hotel room after her misguided trip to Lucas', thoroughly disgusted with herself. "Paolo, you need to put me under house arrest," she whined as she plopped down on her bed, tossing her purse aside with a moan. "I'm a danger to myself, and maybe to others. You never know if my stupidity is contagious."

Paolo didn't even bother to look up from whatever he was doing on his laptop. "It's not. I'd be infected by now," he replied, ignoring her obvious need for conversation for a couple minutes as he finished up what he was doing. "Why do I have a feeling this has something to do with Lucas?" he finally asked, turning his attention to her.

"Because it does," she admitted with a pout, shaking her head. "Seriously, you'd think I'd learned nothing. I was honestly starting to think that maybe I'd been too harsh on him, maybe he wasn't as bad of a guy as I thought."

"Then you woke up and remembered he was banging your best friend?"

Brooke glared at Paolo, shaking her head. "No… and they aren't _banging_ now. But it's just- well, it's hard to explain, really. Like I was thinking about being friends with him, not avoiding him, and then it suddenly struck me… nothing's _changed._ He still made high school hell for me. He still came between the one friendship I had that I thought would last once I was out of that place."

Paolo frowned, studying her. "No one can come _between_ friends, Brooke. You and Peyton let him come between you. What he did was wrong, but I thought you said you'd learned some stuff about ownership and taking responsibility for your actions since high school?"

Brooke pouted, knowing Paolo was right. "Yeah, I did," she admitted softly after a moment had passed, sighing. "It doesn't mean I have to let him back in my life though. I know I'm a better person without him in it. I'm more confident. Even now, he makes me… insecure."

Paolo was quiet for a minute, and then he stood up and patted Brooke on the shoulder before walking across the room toward the window overlooking the town. "Maybe you should consider _why_ he still makes you insecure, Brooke." 

.  
.

Nathan opened one eye experimentally, wincing as he felt a searing pain in his forehead, groaning and shutting his eyes again. He vaguely remembered going to Sparky's after work, but he definitely didn't remember drinking _this_ much.

Processing what he'd seen when he opened his eyes, he forced them open again, squinting to block out as much of the very, very evil light as he could. Yes, just what he thought. He made a face as he registered the details of the bedroom he'd shared with Haley, not wanting to think about how he'd ended up here. It could only mean…

"Haley?" he called out weakly, not daring to turn his head to see if she was in the room like he expected her to be.

He heard her footsteps, pretty sure they were ten times louder in his head than they were in reality, before he saw her. "Good, you're conscious," she responded as she came into his field of vision, hovering over him.

"Yeah…" Nathan swallowed hard as he felt a wave of nausea cascade through his body, grimacing. "Can I have a glass of water?"

"Sure," she responded dryly, rolling her eyes as she reached over to get a cup off the nightstand.

He reached out for it slowly, but before he had a chance to close his fingers around the cup, Haley spilled its contents onto his chest.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded, crossing her arms over her stomach as she glared at him. "I know you can be a selfish, immature bastard but this is _beyond_ that, Nathan. How _dare_ you! How dare you call me to come get you! How dare you put me in the position where I have to let James see his father like this! How dare _you_ let him see you like this!"

Nathan fought the urge to cover his ears as her shrill voice pierced through the fogginess and seemed to travel right through his eardrums. "Hales…" he started weakly, but she cut him off before he had a chance to finish.

"No! Don't _Hales_ me, Nathan. I put up with a lot of your crap, but I don't need to anymore. We're getting a divorce. You aren't my responsibility anymore. I don't need to cart your drunk ass around, and I _certainly_ have more important things to be worrying about right now, like-"

She broke off suddenly , causing Nathan to frown a little. "I'm sorry," he muttered, honestly meaning it. He certainly hadn't meant to get this drunk, and his plan definitely hadn't been to get Haley involved.

"Take me off your call list, Nathan," Haley said sullenly, her voice dropping down a few decibels. "Once upon a time, I may have dropped what I was doing to help you out of a jam, but not anymore. You don't deserve my help."

Nathan stared at her for a long minute, having a hard time believing what he was hearing. "Haley… I- I never wanted to upset you."

Haley gritted her teeth as she leveled him with the most hateful gaze he'd ever seen her use. "Don't bullshit me, Nathan. You sure as hell have a funny way of saying that. Next time you have a problem, next time you get too drunk to remember which pocket you put your keys in- call your whore. Don't call me again."

Before he had a chance to respond, Haley stormed from the room. Nathan stared after her, flinching as the door slammed shut behind her, as he tried to understand what she'd said.

.  
. 

Lucas hadn't moved much since Brooke had left, still pretty much in a state of shock. He'd thought everything was going well, but apparently he'd missed out on something pretty big. He missed the days when he'd been able to read her, to know what she was thinking or feeling, but he was starting to wonder if they ever actually existed.

It was a strange thought, really, to wonder if he'd ever actually _known_ his first love. He'd known her body, sure, and he'd known her personality, but he wasn't sure how much deeper his connection to her had gone. And in the back of his mind, he knew it was all his fault. He was all too aware that she'd tried to let him in all those years ago.

He really had thought he knew her so well, and that was the most uncomfortable part of his realization. He'd never fully understood what she'd meant when she broke up with him after Nathan and Haley's wedding, but he was pretty sure he did now.

He wished he could tell her he had missed her, every moment she wasn't in his presence. He wished he could tell her that when he'd gone to look at colleges with his mother, none had felt like the perfect fit because he knew _she_ wouldn't be there.

But it was too late. Brooke had made it clear she was over him, and she's made it clear she didn't want to be his friend let alone be more. And if there was one thing he hoped he'd learned from all these years apart, it was that she deserved that, if it was what she wanted. It was that she probably had a point.

He'd make her life miserable again.

He let out a dry laugh, shaking his head and flopping back against the couch, unable to believe his own stupidity.

After all these years, he finally understand how Brooke had felt in high school. He finally understood what it felt like to not feel wanted, to not feel missed. And it really wasn't a pleasant feeling.

.  
.

Peyton wasn't totally sure, but she was pretty sure that if heaven actually existed, this was as close she could get to it while she was still alive. Pressing her lips against Jake's again in a deeper kiss than the previous, she let her hands wander to the front of his shirt, clenching her fists around the fabric as she attempted to pull him closer.

She was met with more resistance than she expected. "Peyton," Jake whispered as he turned his head to the side, taking a deep breath as he sat up straighter.

Peyton frowned, definitely not ready for a conversation about what was happening. Quite frankly, she didn't really know yet.

She liked kissing Jake; that much she knew. But what Jenny had implied made her think Jake's feelings were deeper than that, and she wasn't sure she returned them- or even if she _could_ return them in the future.

In a way, she'd had her life planned out, but it was never Jake she saw standing next to her. Ever since high school, she'd always assumed she'd end up with Lucas, as lame as it sounded. They'd been broken up for a couple years now, ever since his proposal, and it was sort of ironic that it had been her relationship with Jake that had ended things with Lucas.

Especially now.

She sighed, forcing herself to meet Jake's gaze. "…What?" she asked tentatively, hoping he'd give her a free pass for the night from what was bound to be an awkward conversation.

Jake paused for a minute before clearing his throat, his gaze steady. "Well, uh, we just kissed, Peyton," he said quietly, stating the obvious. When she didn't respond, he added, "I just wanted you to know- I know you're vulnerable and stuff. Your dad just died and you're here and Lucas is here and Brooke's here, so… I know it didn't mean anything."

Peyton started at him for a long moment, not entirely sure what to say. "Of course not," she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. She might not have been sure what it meant, but she knew it meant _something._

"Right." Jake shrugged, giving her an awkward smile that obviously didn't reach his eyes. "I just- yeah. I should go check on Jenny, anyway."

Peyton nodded, not bothering to say anything as she pretended to busy herself with cleaning off the coffee table. "Yeah, and… I should tidy up."

"Alright," Jake agreed, getting up and giving her a lingering glance before leaving the room.

Peyton sighed, relaxing into the couch as soon as he was out of the room and bringing her hands to her face in frustration.

.  
.

Haley couldn't remember having this much morning sickness with James. Leaning against the toilet bowl, she whimpered, reaching up to wipe at the bead of sweat that had formed at her forehead. It was definitely the worst possible time to be afflicted by a wave of nausea, given that any minute Nathan would probably be rushing to the bathroom because of his hangover.

She definitely didn't want him to find out like this. Standing up shakily, she flushed the toilet and stepped in front of the mirror, wincing at what she saw. Her hair was a mess, her skin was pale and dark circles had formed under her eyes. She looked as bad as she felt.

Splashing some water in her face, she squeezed some toothpaste- the Spongebob Squarepants standup tube, since it was the only one readily available- onto her brush and barely managed to control her gag reflexes as she brushed her teeth.

She let out a sigh of relief when she was done, putting away the toothbrush and squirting air freshener before leaning back against the sink, squeezing her eyes shut.

Her doctor had told her she was five weeks and two days pregnant. She couldn't help but laugh at the irony. Nathan had moved out five weeks and one day ago, after all.

Running her fingers through her hair, she was pretty sure she heard someone approaching the bathroom, so she quickly pulled her hair up in a loose ponytail, taking a deep breath before opening the bathroom door.

Nathan stood at the door, his hand against his head, and it took all her willpower not to comfort him or at least offer him aspirin. She knew she had to be strong.

As unsure about everything related to Nathan and this pregnancy as she was at the moment, there was one thing she was certain of. The baby couldn't change everything. Her pregnancy wasn't going to magically solve her problems with Nathan, and she couldn't just ask for him back because she was pregnant now.

It wasn't fair to either of them.

She watched him as he practically ran past her into the bathroom, grimacing as she heard him retching as the door slammed shut.

The sound made her nausea return full force and she brought her hand to her mouth, sprinting down the stairs to the other bathroom.

.  
. 

Brooke had just changed into yoga pants and a tank top, more than ready to spend the rest of her day lazing around her hotel room, when her phone started ringing, the ring tone she'd set for Lorenzo filling the room. Springing up from her bed to answer it, she greeted him happily, "Hey! I didn't know if you were going to call tonight."

"Hey, well, I figured I'd check in and see how you were doing. I'm sorry I can't be there with you," came a reply, his deep voice a welcome comfort to her.

Curling up on her bed, she smiled a little as she spoke to him, realizing how much she'd missed the sound of his voice. "Paolo told me you called yesterday, but when I tried to call back I got your voicemail."

Lorenzo laughed, and she could sense him rolling his eyes on the other side of the line. "Yeeeah… my phone died yesterday. I'd given it to Kaitlin to charge but I guess she forgot and- you know, I'd much rather be talking about you than whether or not my secretary charged the phone."

Brooke bit her lip, not entirely sure what to say. Somehow _"I've been thinking about my ex-boyfriend a lot" _didn't sound like the right thing to tell him. "Well, there's really not much to tell. I'm still kind of settling in. It's weird to be back here, you know?"

"Are you doing okay? I know you weren't looking forward to going back." There was an audible sigh on Lorenzo's end, and he added, "I really wish I could be there with you. To support you."

Brooke shrugged her shoulders weakly, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "Yeah, I know you do. But I'll be okay. Really. I mean, it's a little weird, but so far everyone's been good. I went to visit an old friend this morning and I hung out with Karen- I told you about her- at her café."

"Well, it sounds like you're settling in pretty well. I'm relieved."

"Yeah… I guess I am. I can't wait to get back to Boston, though," she admitted, frowning after a minute. She and Lorenzo had a pretty open relationship, so it was strange she didn't feel comfortable telling him about spending time with Lucas. She'd never had a problem talking about other guys with him before, even guys that had hit on her, or that she'd dated before him.

Something about Lucas was different, though. Something about Lucas would always be different.

She took a deep breath, trying to get rid of the thoughts as she returned her focus to the conversation. "-trying to get my meeting with Ursula moved to tomorrow night," he was saying, and she toned him out as she realized he was talking business.

She loved Lorenzo, and most of the time she didn't have a problem listening to him talking about work. If there was one thing she loved about her relationship with him, it was that they loved each other enough that they were interested in each other's interests, even if they weren't normally things they'd care about. Even though she knew nothing about stocks, for example, she still loved listening to Lorenzo talk about them. It always amazed her how smart he was when it came to things like that.

Lorenzo was exactly the type of guy she'd always imagined herself with. She remembered back when she'd just been starting her junior year and Peyton had asked her about her future, how she had told Peyton she imagined going to college and eventually marrying a rich guy. It had always been a guy much like Lorenzo she imagined herself ending up with.

"_You ever look past it, Brooke?" Peyton had asked, glancing over at her with an expression Brooke could only describe as broody. It wasn't rare, though, not on Peyton. She loved her friend to death, but she knew Peyton liked to act a lot more deep and serious than she actually was. It made her feel important, Brooke guessed, and she was cool with that. Peyton was her friend, after all, so she'd play the part Peyton had designed for her._

"_Past what?" she asked dutifully, even though she was already pretty sure what Peyton was getting at. They'd been having this kind of conversation a lot lately, but it was Brooke's part in this friendship to be the vapid, shallow one, and pointing out to Peyton that she'd asked the same question five different ways in the last three days didn't fit that._

"_All of it," Peyton muttered, and it took all of Brooke's self-restraint not to roll her eyes. "High school, basketball, and just… the whole popularity drama."_

_Brooke stared at her for a minute, considering being honest with Peyton. "Yeah. I mean, I think about the future sometimes… and it scares me." She blinked, suddenly realizing that Peyton wasn't actually interested in hearing the truth. Peyton had enough problems of her own without having to take Brooke's insecurities into account, without having to think of someone else. And it was Brooke's job to make sure Peyton's life was as easy as possible. That's what best friends did, right? Forcing her thoughts in a different direction, she finished vaguely, "But then I think… I'll go to college. I'll join the right sorority. I'll marry a rich guy." _

_It was true, sort of. The part she left out was that she was petrified of going to college, of moving on with her life, of moving past high school. She was scared to death of having to start over. Peyton had her art, her music. Brooke… she was just the head cheerleader and most popular girl in school. That wouldn't carry over into college. She'd have to start all over, reform her identity._

"_Unless I get fat," she added after a couple seconds, pretending she didn't see Peyton's look._

_Yes, Brooke Davis was smarter than people thought. And as much as she loved Peyton Sawyer, she had to admit that sometimes it did annoy her that her best friend thought she was so much better than her._

_It didn't make it any easier to let people in, though._

Brooke blinked at the memory, realizing Lorenzo had fallen silent. Hazarding a guess, she assumed he'd asked her a question. "Mmhmm, that sounds good,' she mumbled, not having a clue what he'd said. It seemed the safest possible answer though.

She wondered why now that she was back in Tree Hill, she couldn't imagine marrying Lorenzo anymore.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen  
August 23, 2007

* * *

Sitting down on a flat rock at the start of the jetty, Brooke Davis stared out at the dark water, relieved for this moment alone. It was weird to think that in just a few days, she'd be boarding a plane and very possibly never coming back here again. She wasn't really sure she wanted to.

It was scary, to say the least. She'd enjoyed being a teenager, a high school student, because she'd always known she wouldn't have to be responsible for all her own actions. There was some comfort in knowing her age and place in Tree Hill offered her the security blanket her parents never had.

She let out a dry laugh, reaching down and picking up a small stone, tossing it at the water and watching it skip across the flat surface. The ocean was oddly calm today, and she didn't feel like it was fitting at all.

All around her there was chaos, and there wasn't even a crash of the waves to drain it away. Instead she had to bear it all herself, all that energy absorbed by her body. Lucas and Peyton didn't seem to be talking, and she couldn't help but be a little happy about that.

Sure, she was friends with Peyton again, and she was being friendly with Lucas. But that didn't mean her heart didn't break all over again each time she saw them making eyes at each other over a crowded room the way she used to with him. It didn't change the way her heart hurt when Peyton would call Lucas "Boyfriend" like she had.

They said you never got over your first love, not entirely, and she was starting to believe it was true. It had been months, and she still wasn't any less in love with Lucas tonight than she'd been when they danced together at Haley and Nathan's wedding.

"This rock taken?"

She felt goosebumps on her skin as she heard his voice, tilting her head up to look at the blonde boy. "Guess not. Where's Peyton?" she asked Lucas as he sat down.

Lucas just shook his head a little, gesturing up the beach. "Being weird. She doesn't want to talk about it, though, and you know how she gets. I figured I should give her her space."

"Sounds like a good idea," she mumbled, wishing he'd give her the same consideration. The last thing she wanted to do on her last night with the Tree Hill kids was talk about Lucas and Peyton's relationship.

She could feel his gaze on her, and it gave her the chills. She didn't turn to look at him, though, instead focusing her gaze on the water. She wished she could slip in, let it pull her under and make her stop feeling. She wished she could look up from under its dark depths, watch this scene unaffected.

"You look amazing, by the way, Brooke," he was saying, and she winced imperceptibly. He wasn't supposed to notice her like that, not when he was with her best friend.

She finally glanced over at him, giving him a small sigh. "Thanks," she mumbled, dropping her gaze after she was done.

He just nodded, studying her for a minute. "I'm leaving in the morning. So… I guess this is goodbye."

She was a little surprised by this and she knew her expression showed it. She recovered quickly, giving him a small shrug. "Yeah… bye. Have a good time in school." _Have a good life_, she added silently, but she hadn't told anyone her plans not to come back and she didn't intend to. She didn't want to give anyone the chance to talk her out of it.

"Do you think we could…" Lucas started but trailed off, shaking his head. "How about a goodbye kiss?"

She gulped, unable to believe the audacity of his request. He was with her best friend, after telling her time and time again that his feelings were nothing but platonic, and now _this?_ "I don't know, Lucas. If Peyton's mad with you, then w-"

She was cut off, though, as his lips pressed against hers. She wanted to pull back, to slap him, to tell him she'd never be like Peyton, even if it was just a goodbye kiss. But she couldn't bring herself to, returning the kiss softly and letting her eyes slipped closed, trying to memorize this moment, how his lips felt against hers as the gentle breeze encircled them and the water lapped at her feet.

Too quickly it was over, and Lucas was standing up, no doubt to go salvage things with Peyton, and she felt a single teardrop slip down her cheek.

.

. 

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Haley asked worriedly, glancing down at James who was sound asleep in his infant carrier before she picked up the instructions that had come with the small dome tent they'd purchased. "There's a lot of bugs out here and the nights can get a little chilly, and we aren't as close to a hospital as we'd be at home-"

Nathan shook his head, looking up from the poles he was putting together to give her a reassuring smile. "Hales… the doctor said it would be fine, that James was ready for this. And it's August in North Carolina, so the nights won't be that cold. Besides, we're only like, five minutes away from the hospital, and I doubt-"

"But we're only three minutes away at home!" Haley interrupted with a worried frown, her gaze returning to James. "Those two minutes can make a big difference. Like if you can't breathe, they're the difference between brain damage, or-"

"_Haley_," Nathan said her name calmly, setting the poles down and closing the distance between them, wrapping her in his arms. "You need a break, alright? Nothing's going to happen. James is fine; the fresh air will do him good."

Haley pressed her face against Nathan's shirt, the familiar scent of Old Spice comforting her. "It's just this is the first time we've left the house with him for more than a couple hours," she pointed out weakly. She hadn't realized just how much her life would change once she was a mother, but now it was like all she thought about was James. She couldn't imagine life without him now.

"Yeah, I know. I'm a little freaked out, too, Haley, but I know it's just my nerves. The fresh air's good for him and we're going to keep him protected from the bugs- well, once we have this tent set up- so if anything, he's probably actually safer camping than he would be at home, alright?"

She gave him a small nod, pulling away slightly as she studied him. Nathan never failed to amaze Haley; he always seemed to know what to say to make her feel better about any given situation, and he'd been an even bigger help to her than she'd expected once James was born.

Sure, she'd expected him to be there to help take care of the baby, but what she hadn't been expecting was the emotional support he'd given her since the delivery. Nathan had really helped give her a boost to her self-esteem and had found a way to assure her she was being a good mother and a good wife, often without words or without even needing to be told she was worried about it.

So she knew she had to trust him. Tilting her head up, she gave him a light kiss on the lips, smiling as she pulled away. "Then lets get this tent set up so we can get James away from the bugs and out of the sun," she told him, grabbing the directions again and gesturing for him to pick up one of the poles. "Now, it says you're supposed to thread together that curved one and the long straight one…"

.

.

Seeing Brooke and Lucas together got to Peyton more than she liked to admit. She knew she had no right to be like that, to demand her boyfriend and her best friend not hang out, but it freaked her out just how well they seemed to click.

When she and Lucas had started dating, it hadn't once occurred to her that Lucas could have feelings for Brooke, or that Brooke could still have feelings for Lucas. She still wasn't sure if that was the case, but she had started to wish she'd at least considered the possibility, and how she'd react if it was true.

Because really, she wasn't sure what to do now, or what was reasonable to request of him. She knew she couldn't tell him not to hang out with Brooke- that would make it seem like she didn't trust him, and God knew that she'd be the biggest hypocrite in the world if she took that step.

There was a saying: once a cheater, always a cheater. She hoped it wasn't true because not only would that mean Lucas would cheat on her, but it would mean she'd fail at all the relationships in her life. After all, they'd cheated on Brooke, not so long ago.

At one time, she'd never consider the possibility that Brooke would go after her boyfriend. That had changed with the sex tape, though, since she now had proof to the contrary. Sure, she'd technically been broken up with Nathan, but everyone had known that her breakups with Nathan back then were anything but permanent.

If Brooke could do it once, with a boy she'd never shown much of an interest in besides the occasional flirty remark- and really, that was just _Brooke_- it didn't seem at all out of the question that she'd do it again. Especially with a guy she'd been into in the past and very well could still be into.

What scared Peyton the most, though, was she couldn't be sure what Lucas would say. She thought Lucas was over Brooke, wanted to believe him when he told her he loved her, but trusting someone just wasn't that easy for Peyton Sawyer.

After all, no one really had stuck around before in her life. It was hard to imagine someone could.

She sighed, glancing down the beach to where Lucas was sitting with Brooke, shaking her head and heading over to the keg that had been set up by the dunes.

.

.

So, that hadn't been his brightest idea ever. Sure, he'd spent the better part of the last couple months trying to convince himself he was over Brooke Davis, that there was no possible way he could be in love with two girls because those things didn't really happen outside of the movies, but he was pretty damn sure this wasn't the way to go about testing that theory.

Kissing his ex, his girlfriend's best friend, certainly wasn't the way to win over a girlfriend who was already mad at you for something or other that night.

The ride to the beach for the last party of the summer had been awkward and tense, and not more than a couple words ('the light's red,' 'there's nothing I can do about it,' 'if you crash my car I'll kill you') had been spoken.

He noticed Peyton by the keg and started to head in her direction, but when her eyes flashed over his face and she suddenly decided that she didn't want to be at the keg but on the opposite side of the beach, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out she didn't want to talk.

Sighing, he approached the keg anyway, shaking his head. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to try to talk to her right now, anyway. God only knew what he'd say.

In fact, he wasn't sure he could form coherent phrases, at least none that would get him out of whatever trouble he was in with Peyton.

Something about kissing Brooke Davis made him feel intoxicated, more alive than he had in months. And that definitely scared him senseless. He was _sure_ he was in love with Peyton, one hundred and ten percent.

But Brooke… she always had been special to him, occupied a different place in his heart than Peyton. Was it possible to be sure you'd spend the rest of your life with one girl, but sure you'd never get over the other?

Pouring himself a cup of beer from the tap, Lucas swore under his breath as he saw Brooke getting up from her spot on the rocks and downed his drink quickly, wondering if there was a way he could not only avoid confrontations with both girls tonight, but confrontations with his psyche.

.

.

Brooke wandered aimlessly along the beach, starting to feel the effects of the shots of tequila she'd taken earlier in the evening. She'd taken a lot at once, definitely more than she would normally, but since she'd spent most of the time since then sitting down, she hadn't really noticed just how drunk she was.

Haha, maybe it wasn't Lucas' kiss that made me dizzy! Maybe it's just that I'm drunk!

She frowned, even in her state of inebriation knowing that wasn't true, or at least her drunkenness was only partially to blame. Spotting Peyton nearby on the beach, she decided to head in the other girl's direction, waving her down. "Peyton!" she called out as she approached.

Peyton turned to look at her, obviously less than enthused to talk to her "best friend." Brooke had realized a while ago that the title was a joke, that best friends didn't treat each other the way they did. It was just another reason she wanted to get out of this town.

"Hey, Brooke…" Peyton said hesitantly, taking a sip of her beer as she studied the brunette. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Enough! It's either boys or booze and you took my boy, so booze it is," Brooke returned with a shrug, swaying back and forth a little.

"Brooke-" Peyton started but closed her mouth again, obviously realizing she didn't have anything to reply with. She didn't exactly have a defense, anyway.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's okay, it's okay." Brooke rolled her eyes. "You guys are so in _looooove_ and you're meant to be… even though we're barely out of high school and you have most of your life ahead of you."

Peyton winced, shaking her head. "It's not like that-"

"Don't tell me what it's like," Brooke responded, her tone oddly conversational given her words. Giving Peyton a far too sweet smile, she added, "You tend to lie about these kind of things." Pursing her lips, she studied her 'best friend' and shook her head. "You think I'm stupid, don't you? A few months ago you told me you didn't go after Lucas right away because you didn't think I was over him. Why'd you lie?"

Peyton's eyes widened and she started at her friend, not sure what to say. "Brooke, I didn't _lie._ I thought you were into him!"

"No, I believe you on that part," Brooke corrected, laughing dryly. "That's all you ever told me that was true. What I _don't _believe you on is that you put off telling him for my benefit. You told me about asking him who he wanted standing next to him, remember? And saying you wished he said you? Well, that obviously happened before you felt I was _over_ him, didn't it?"

Peyton flinched, knowing Brooke had her on that. "Brooke, I-"

Brooke gave her a sad smile, shaking her head. "Save your lies, Peyton. I don't want to hear them." She paused, cocking her head to study the blonde. "By the way, I think I still have feelings for your boyfriend, Peyton. I just wanted you to know. In the interest of _honesty._" She let out an uncomfortable laugh and met Peyton's gaze, her own harsh. "Tell me how it was ever about honesty."

Peyton just gulped, not having an answer. It hadn't been, of course. She'd claimed it had been and almost convinced herself of that to make herself feel better, but that façade had crashed with Brooke's question. Before she had a chance to think of a response, Brooke turned on her heel, walking away.


	14. Chapter 14

So I know this took me forever to get up since life has been hectic, and I feel horrible about it. I'll have another chapter up within a couple days in an attempt to "make up" for it, and let me assure you that this will be the exception rather than the norm. I have the first thirty-two chapters written, and the first 244 pages. So don't worry, there's still plenty more ready to come!

Chapter Fourteen.

* * *

  
Whoever had said a new day brought all the difference to the world had been wrong. With a new day came the same problems, only pushed one day back. You didn't wake up with all the answers, or even a new outlook on the problem.

In Haley's case, all she woke up with an all too present sense of nausea, a five year old screaming for breakfast, and a headache. And, of course, still no idea how to tell her soon to be ex-husband she was pregnant with the baby they'd been trying for so long to have.

"James, I'm coming," she half-whined, dropping one leg over the side of the bed and sitting up slowly, trying to ignore the way her stomach was doing flips.

She stretched her arms over her head, stifling a yawn as she climbed out of her bed and yelping as her feet touched the cold hardwood floor. She and Nathan had been meaning to put carpeting down forever in their room, but it had always been toward the bottom of their priority list. There was always something more important that had to be done and somewhere else to spend the money, one of the many pleasures of having a child.

Soon to be two children. She sighed, rubbing her belly with her hand as she stepped into her slippers, heading downstairs to meet James in the kitchen and get him his cereal.

He was a big Cinnamon Life fan, so she didn't bother to ask him what he wanted when she reached the kitchen. Pouring the cereal into a small bowl and adding a little milk, she set it down in front of his place on the kitchen table, gesturing for him to sit down.

Instead, James stood in front of the table, glancing between his normal spot and his mother, frowning a little. "Mommy?" he asked softly, turning his head up to look at her.

Haley frowned, glancing down at her son. Everyone had always said he was the perfect mix of her and Nathan, but she'd always felt he more closely resembled her than Nathan. He had her reddish brown hair, a shade or two lighter than her own, much like hers had been as a young child. He did have Nathan's baby blues, but over all, he resembled her brothers when they'd been younger. "Yeah, baby?"

James pouted, walking over so he was standing behind the chair Nathan used to sit in. "Well, now that you and Daddy are getting d-divorced, that makes me the house man, right?"

Haley blinked in confusion, taking a second to realize he meant 'man of the house.' She smiled a little, gesturing for him to come back to his usual seat. "No, baby. You're still Mommy's little boy. We don't need a man of the house. Mommy can take care of us just fine."

Shaking his head, James pulled on the leg of Nathan's chair as he looked up at Haley, his expression soulful. "Mommy shouldn't have to take care of herself. I want to help. Let me sit in Daddy's chair because I- I gotta take his spot now, Mommy."

Haley could feel her heart breaking into a million pieces at James' expression and she gulped. "You don't have to do that, James. I promise-"

"No, Mommy," he continued stoically, climbing up into Nathan's seat and meeting Haley's gaze seriously. "I'm gonna protect you, Mommy. We're gonna protect each other, okay?"

Flabbergasted, Haley just nodded, not sure how to respond to her five year old son at all. As much as she wanted to explain to him that he could be a child and they'd be fine, she couldn't find the words to do so.

.

.

.

"P. Sawyer, why did I agree to go shopping with you?" Brooke asked with a pout as she trailed behind the blonde girl, glancing at a dress they were walking past. As much as she loved shopping, there was something vaguely hellish about doing it with Peyton.

After all, Peyton seemed to have a radar for all dresses old and frumpy. Just as Brooke was thinking that, Peyton reached for a simple black dress that would've looked great- on an elderly wedding. "Because my father died and you're being a supportive friend?" she asked Brooke, giving her a pointed look.

"Oh… right," Brooke muttered awkwardly, making a face as she saw the dress. "Well, any supportive friend would tell you that _that's_ a bad idea. Step away from the fugly, P. Sawyer."

Peyton sighed, doing as Brooke told her and rolling her eyes. "I'm trying to pick out a dress for my dad's funeral, Brooke. I'm not trying to look sexy."

Brooke made a face, leading Peyton toward another display of dresses. "Why do those two have to be mutually exclusive, though? You can still look good and be in mourning. You don't have to look like you threw on a trash bag and went to town."

"Niiiice, Brooke. Really nice," Peyton muttered, trailing behind the brunette.

Brooke sighed, wishing for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes she hadn't offered to accompany Peyton. Even though they called themselves friends, they were more acquaintances than anything at this point. After their fight before leaving for college, they'd come to a silent understanding that all things Lucas would never be talked about again.

It was like a massive, hot pink elephant in the room, trampling and suffocating them. Lucas had been such a big part of both their lives that not talking about him meant they couldn't connect on any real level anymore.

"I'm just trying to help you out. You aren't going to impress Lucas if you're dressed like his grandma." She didn't know why she said it, but as soon as the words were out she knew it was a test. Some part of her wanted to know what Peyton thought, how she felt about Lucas.

Peyton stared at her for a minute before shrugging and saying uneasily, "Who says I'm into Lucas? And who says he's into me?"

"Common sense," Brooke answered casually, glancing over at the blonde girl for some reaction. "Oh, come on, Peyton. You guys were soooo in love that you couldn't keep your hands off each other even when he was with your best friend. Be real. I'd like to think that kind of love can't die, because otherwise that means we were _never_ really friends." She paused, meeting Peyton's gaze. "And as awkward as things are now, I'd rather think that isn't the case."

Peyton frowned, obviously not sure what to say. "Jake's here," she told Brooke after a long moment, biting her bottom lip. "Have you ever been torn between two guys, Brooke?"

Brooke looked at Peyton blankly before shaking her head. "No," she answered after a minute. "I've always known who the guy for me is."

.

.

.

There was no way he was going to make it into work today. Nathan groaned, rolling onto his side in his bed. Pathetically enough, the mattress was from his childhood bed, and every lump in it represented its age. It was yet another sign of how sure he'd been that Haley would take him back, that their problems were only temporary.

Now, he was thinking he should start furniture shopping and looking for a bigger apartment.

He was a little surprised he hadn't vomited in his sleep, really, because he definitely felt sick enough to. The memories of the previous day were all too sharp in his mind, and he kept replaying Haley's harsh words and behavior, unable to find the "stop" button for his thoughts.

He'd never seen her that angry. Sure, he'd definitely seen her pissed off before, but this had been a whole new level of anger. This had been… scary. He was so ashamed that he'd requested her help the previous night, unable to believe he'd let his son see him like this.

James was supposed to be coming over today and he wasn't sure what he'd say to him, how he'd explain what had happened. He wasn't sure how to explain to his only child that his life was falling apart around him and he didn't see a point to it without James or Haley. He didn't see the point of putting that pressure on James, either.

This was his life, now. He'd work all day and come home to an empty apartment. He'd occasionally get to see his son, when Haley decided it was okay, or if it got to that point, when the courts did. He couldn't believe it was coming to this. He couldn't believe he'd ended up so much like his dad, that he'd let work and his pride come before his family.

He shivered at the realization, but quickly pushed it from his mind. It was too late to do anything about it now, anyway, too late to change the past. He'd have to lie in the hole he'd dug for himself, suck up his losses and try to pick up the pieces in his life.

He'd have to try to move on, even though he couldn't imagine his life without Haley. He couldn't imagine himself with another woman, coming home to someone else's warm body in bed next to him. He couldn't really imagine coming home to an empty bed for the rest of his life either.

He'd taken Haley for granted; he realized that now. It was a classic case of not realizing what you had until it was gone, until she was gone. He didn't know how he'd make things work without her. For so long, they'd functioned together. They'd fallen into a routine; until their fight, the last time he'd had to do his own laundry was when she was on tour almost seven years ago.

He groaned, bringing his hands to his head and getting up, heading toward the bathroom since he was sure the nausea would catch up with him fully at any moment. He sickened himself, really. He'd never expected to end up this pathetic.

.

.

.

Lucas sat with Jake on the small porch outside Peyton's father's house, watching Jenny run around in the yard with the neighbor's dog. Taking a sip of the water bottle Jake had given him, he glanced over at the other boy. "So… Peyton hadn't mentioned you coming down. Did you surprise her, or…?"

"Nah… I called her, saw what she thought," Jake explained, keeping a careful eye on his daughter as he spoke. It was obvious he wasn't comfortable with her being quite so close to the road. "When she said she wanted to see us, I packed up and got on a plane."

"So… you guys are close, huh?" Lucas hedged, trying to get a read on Jake. Jenny's outburst yesterday had left him a little confused, but he wasn't going to come right out and ask the guy if he was actually in love with his ex.

Jake shrugged, nodding slightly. "Yeah… she kept to herself in college, didn't make many friends, so we spent a lot of time together. I think Jenny thinks of her sort of like a mother, actually."

Lucas swallowed as he looked out at Jenny, not sure how to feel about that. Peyton would always have a special place in his heart, but he didn't see them getting back together. She'd made it pretty clear- repeatedly- that she couldn't see herself marrying him, or being in a relationship that serious with him.

But she had no problem forging a faux family with Jake and Jenny? He frowned a little, glancing over at Jake. "That's cool. I know her and Jenny have always gotten along."

Jake nodded, smiling a little as he looked out at Jenny. "Yeah… you know, when she asked me to marry her, I almost went through with it. Even though I knew it was way too soon, it just seemed right. For Jenny. Not so much for me and Peyton, especially her. Which is why I sent her back to you."

Lucas stared at Jake in shock for a minute, trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about. "What?" he asked, his voice obviously strained. "You guys were- she asked you to marry her?"

Jake was quiet for a minute and then let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. "She never told you?" he asked, pausing as he gestured for Jenny to come back closer to them and away from the road. "When we were in high school. When she came down to visit me in Savannah after the shooting, she asked me to marry her. But then she said your name in her sleep and she said she loved you, so I knew… well, I loved her too much to not send her back to you."

Lucas lapsed into silence, trying to remember when Peyton had been down to visit Jake. It couldn't have been more than a few weeks before they got together. He let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. "That's unbelievable," he muttered, glancing over at Jake. For such a long time, he'd figured Peyton just didn't want to get married, that it wasn't anything about their relationship that had her so scared of marriage.

But apparently, she'd been ready to marry Jake before she was even 18. He thought of his conversation with Brooke the night before, of his conversation with his mother even before that about how much he'd hurt Brooke. "God, I never should've let her go," he mumbled, running his hands through his hair before looking up at Jake. "Uh- Jake, I, uh, I gotta go," he told the other boy uncomfortably, feeling sick to his stomach.

He'd love Peyton; he probably always would, in some way. And now he found out she'd been playing him all along, that she never felt the same? It was almost too much for him to take.

He walked down the steps of Peyton's childhood home, groaning. He'd spent years of his life trying to convince himself that it would just take Peyton time to come around, that she'd want a more serious commitment in no time.

Come to find out, she did. Just not with him.

.

.

.

Haley opened her closet doors after returning from dropping James off at Nathan's, stooping down and pulling a storage box out from the back of the closet. It contained some of her maternity clothes from when she was pregnant with James, as well as some additional ones she'd bought in the past two years, always hoping that she'd need them.

She didn't need them quite yet, but she knew it would be all too soon. She'd already read plenty of literature on pregnancies, so she knew you tended to show sooner with a second pregnancy.

Right now, though, all that meant was that she was living on borrowed time right now. God only knew when she'd start showing, and she had to tell Nathan before then. She may have had her differences with him right now, but he was still this baby's father and he deserved to know about their child's existence before the rest of the world did.

It didn't make it any easier, though. Just knowing it was the right thing to do didn't change the fact that it was going to be hard.

She sighed, pulling some of the clothes out of the box and holding them in front of her thin frame. Right now, she didn't think being in shape worked to her advantage. She kind of would've preferred having a little extra weight on her; it would at least buy her an extra week or two to mask the pregnancy.

She needed someone to talk to about this, someone who wasn't Nathan, but someone who knew her better than a doctor.

She bit her lip, mentally running down a list of people who fit that description. There was Lucas, but he was just as much Nathan's brother as he was her best friend. There was Karen, but she'd probably tell Lucas. There was Brooke, but…

Haley paused, cocking her head to the side as she continued. But Brooke probably wouldn't tell anyone, actually. And she had said she was only staying for a week, which gave her minimum time to cause drama.

And after all, it had been Brooke who'd kept the secret of Haley's first pregnancy, even when it had caused her drama and made things awkward with Lucas.

Haley nodded slightly, her mind made up. She'd tell Brooke first, see what Brooke thought she should do. Maybe her friend would even have advice for how to tell Nathan.

Taking a deep breath, Haley crossed the room and stepped into the hall, picking up the telephone.


	15. Chapter 15

**  
Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

Lucas had considered buying flowers or an olive branch on his way over to Brooke's hotel room as a peace offering, but then he'd decided that another approach would work better. So instead, he'd pulled into the hotel parking lot, watched the gardener until the man walked away, and snuck into the hotel gardens and plucked flowers right from the center of it.

It was a small gesture, and one most girls probably wouldn't be impressed by, but if there was anything he'd always known about Brooke Davis, she wasn't most girls. He wanted to remind her of better times, times when he'd been more deserving of her trust and friendship… and maybe something more.

The wait in the elevator was when it started to sink in he didn't actually have a speech rehearsed. He'd never needed to rehearse what he said with Brooke, but he wasn't sure if she'd ever been this mad at him before. Even when they'd had that fight their senior year over the letter he'd written her, he'd still had her love for him working on his side.

He was pretty sure he didn't even have that anymore.

As the elevator bell rang to let him know he'd reached his destination, he stepped off as the doors opened, quickly finding Brooke's hotel room as it was adjacent to the elevator. He approached the door a little nervously, pausing for a second before knocking.

The door swung open and Paolo was standing there in a towel. "We canceled the room serv-" He broke off when he realized it was Lucas, frowning. "Oh," he muttered, glancing into the bedroom. "Brooke, it's the blonde one. Boy. Are you here?"

There was a muffled voice from inside the room and Paolo shrugged, stepping aside to let Lucas in. "She's here," he stated, as if Lucas had any doubt after listening to Paolo question her.

"So… I think you need to work on your escape strategy," Lucas said with a dry laugh as his eyes took in Brooke as he walked toward the bed she was sitting on.

Her hair was pulled back in a sloppy bun, held back with what appeared to be pink striped chopsticks, and she had a tight fitting light pink ballet neck tee shirt and faded jeans. She wore minimal makeup, really just a little lip gloss and mascara. Oddly enough, it was the most casually he'd ever seen her dressed, out of pajamas.

After catching himself blatantly staring at her, he glanced away quickly, his gaze dropping to the flowers in his hand. "Hey, I, uh, I brought you these," he offered her, holding out the flowers to her.

Brooke stared at the flowers for a second and slowly blinked, a smile spreading over her face. She accepted them happily, glancing around for a vase or something. "Get these in the neighbor's backyard, too?" she asked with a laugh.

Lucas shook his head, watching her for a minute. He'd forgotten how real her smile was, how welcoming and bright. "Nah, the hotel garden. I almost got caught, too," he admitted, studying her for a minute. "I just wanted to apologize."

"For what?" Brooke asked, her tone obviously guarded. "The past's in the past, Luke. All we can do now is move on."

"Move on… right," he repeated quietly, studying her. "So you're happy with this Lorenzo guy, right?"

Her eyes widened a bit and she blinked, obviously surprised by the question. "Yeah… yeah, I am." She gave him a small smile, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "He's honest with me and he lets me in, Luke. And I know I'm the only girl for him."

Lucas winced, knowing that regardless of whether or not she'd meant to direct that at him, it was true of him all the same. He'd certainly never given her a reason to trust him. "I'm sorry about that, too," he mumbled, meeting her gaze seriously. "About leading you on. About going after Peyton at al."

"Are you sorry for going after Peyton?" Brooke asked, her voice maddeningly casual.

Lucas opened his mouth to respond but closed it again, not having an answer. He honestly didn't know anymore.

He was saved by the bell, though, or in this case the ringing of Brooke's cell. He watched her look at the Caller ID and pick it up, talking to whoever was on the other end for a minute.

"Sorry, Lucas, but… I gotta go. You can hang out here for now if you want. I should be back soon."

Lucas nodded, watching her go as he sat down on her bed and glanced around.

.

.

Nathan nursed his bottle of water as he watched James run around the bases, trying to ignore the impact the bright sunlight was having on his hangover. He'd promised to take James to the local ballpark today and play some catch.

That was right, the next generation of Scott wasn't a baseball fan. James had eagerly taken to baseball, and Nathan had more than willingly signed him up to the local T-ball team and liked to play with him whenever he had the chance. After seeing what basketball had done to the previous generations of his family, he wasn't so sure he wanted it for his son, anyway.

"Daddy!" James screamed as he ran around the home plate and up to Nathan, holding his hand out for the ball Nathan was holding. "Can we play catch now? I'm bored of batting."

Nathan smiled slightly, handing James the ball and then picking up their gloves off the ground, helping James get his on his little hand. "Yeah, of course we can," he assured his son, gesturing for James to run further back onto the field, slipping his own glove on as James took off.

James ran a distance away from Nathan, jumping up and down as he tried to get his father's attention. "Daddy! Think I can throw it from here?" he asked with a giggle, holding up the ball for Nathan to see.

Judging the distance, Nathan was pretty sure James wouldn't be able to, but he wasn't about to tell his son that. He wanted James to think he was capable of anything, that he had no limits. He wanted to be encouraging, not criticizing, not like Dan had been with him. "Try!" he shouted back, shifting his weight forward so he could break into a run as soon as the ball left James' hand, hopefully catching it somewhere in the middle so James wouldn't be disappointed.

James extended his arm and threw the ball, and Nathan took off at a sprint toward it, sliding onto the grass to catch the ball and barely managing to do so.

"Cool!" James congratulated his dad in his own little way, running toward Nathan and laying down next to his father in the grass, resting his little head on top of his dad's chest as he met Nathan's gaze, his own excited. "Daddy, that was awesome!" he told him with a wide grin, reaching for the ball but not getting up. "Daddy?" he asked after a minute.

Nathan forced a smile, trying to ignore the fact that now not only did his head hurt from his hangover, but his back hurt from hitting the ground as hard as he did. "What?"

"When I grow up, am I gonna be as cool as you?"

With a laugh, Nathan reached out and ruffled James' hair affectionately, shaking his head. "No… you'll be way cooler than me, little buddy."

James nodded, climbing up so he was sitting next to Nathan, staring down at his father's face. "That's good. 'Cuz I want to be just like you, only I don't want to lose Mommy, too."

Nathan gulped, staring at his son as James got back up to his feet, snatching up the ball and starting to walk away.

.

.

Peyton frowned as she stared at the various flower arrangements, not having a clue how to choose one. They all looked good to her, and really, they all looked the same as well. Biting her lip, she glanced up at Jake to see what he was thinking. "So… any of these scream a good man's dead to you?" she asked with an uncomfortable laugh.

Jake furrowed his brow and met her gaze, shaking his head slightly. "No…" He studied one arrangement, fairly simple while still being pretty. "What about that one?" he asked, gesturing toward it. "I only met your dad a couple times, but he didn't seem like the type who'd want something overdramatic."

She stared at the arrangement for a minute, feeling overwhelmed. She could hear Jenny playing with the cat that lived in the greenhouse nearby, the young girl's cheerful voice and giggles seeming to set an even more somber contrast with her mood. "Yeah… that looks like it would work," she murmured, glancing around as she tried to flag down someone who could get the flowers for them.

Her father had never been the kind of man to enjoy pomp and circumstance. When she'd been fifteen, she'd arranged for a fancy dinner to celebrate his return home after one of his drudging trips; footing the restaurant bill and buying nice clothes had cost her two months of paychecks from her summer job.

Afterward, when she'd asked her father if he'd enjoyed it, he'd pulled her into a hug and told her that it had been amazing, but he would've been just as happy to sit around in his flannel pajamas with a cold beer and ice cream and watch a movie with her, that all that mattered to him was spending time with her, not where they did it.

It was weird, now, on the night of his wake, to realize she'd never have another one of those movie nights with him, or another awkward, fancy dinner where neither of them knew what to do with any of the forks in front of them.

Jake seemed to note the change in her mood and sighed, holding out his arms. She gladly stepped into them, letting him pull her into a hug.

"This sucks," he murmured, not bothering to offer her any fake comfort, and Peyton was pretty sure she could've loved him for that.

"Yeah… yeah, it really does," she mumbled, pressing her face against his chest and letting him hug her. There was something so comforting about knowing she didn't have to go through this alone, that Jake would be there to oversee every step and help her with the arrangements.

Now that he was here, she couldn't imagine having to deal with this without him.

.

.

Haley opened the door hesitantly to let Brooke in, biting her bottom lip. It had seemed like a much better idea to tell her before the other girl had gotten here, but now she was nervous as all hell.

"Hey," she greeted the brunette nervously, forcing a shaky smile. "I'm happy you could come."

"Of course I came, Tutor-Wife… Tutor-Ex-Wife?" Brooke shook her head, obviously trying to shake off the thought. "You sounded freaked out. What's going on?" she asked, cocking her head to the side as she studied Haley.

Haley grimaced, not at all pleased to know she was so transparent that her frayed nerves could be obvious even on the phone. "Here, uh, come sit down," she mumbled, gesturing for Brooke to sit on the couch as she sat down on one end of it.

Brooke paused, studying Haley. "…Alright," she said, her voice obviously tentative. "You know, it's usually not a good sign when someone tells you to sit down, they have to tell you something," she joked, sitting down slowly in the middle of the couch, her eyes searching Haley's. "Is something wrong? Did you talk to Nathan?"

Shaking her head, Haley muttered, "No, but it's kind of about that." She took a deep breath, meeting Brooke's gaze. "Have you ever really wanted something, Brooke? But then once you get it, the timing's just off and it's… not right?"

"Uh…" Brooke raised an eyebrow, making a confused expression. "Okay, Haley, I'm definitely lost. You need to be a little less vague and a lot more candid."

Haley laughed despite herself, leveling Brooke with a serious look and explaining quietly, "Nathan and I wanted to have another baby, Brooke. For a while."

"Alright, but… what does this have to do with anything?" Brooke asked in confusion, biting her bottom lip. "You're still young, Haley. Even if you and Nathan don't get back together, you'll meet another guy… you still have plenty of years left to have kids. You aren't exactly nearing menopause, unless-" Her eyes widened in horror and she brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh my God, Haley! Are you sick? Do you have cancer or something?"

"No! Nonononono," Haley assured the other girl quickly, sighing. "I just…. It's not that, Brooke. This whole thing… not being able to get pregnant when it was what we wanted most in the world, I think it's part of why we started having problems." She shrugged. "We went to a fertility specialist and everything, but he couldn't find anything wrong with either of us."

"So that means there probably isn't, Haley. The timing wasn't right."

Haley nodded, gulping as she looked up at Brooke and met her gaze, her own eyes a mixture of fear and sadness. "What if I told you that the timing is right… now?"

Brooke stared at her for a minute, slowly processing what she'd said. "Oh my God, Haley!" she squealed, grinning as she realized what Haley meant. "Are you pregnant?"

Haley nodded slightly, taking a deep breath and staring at Brooke. "And I don't have a clue what to do."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Brooke stared at Haley for a minute, a slow smile spreading over her face. "Haley, this is awesome!" she squeaked finally, scooting closer to Haley and pulling her into a bear hug. "Oh my God! I can totally design your clothes, now, too. Like, all of them! You'll be the cutest pregnant lady ever."

Haley shook her head, returning Brooke's hug weakly. "I don't know, Brooke. It's not all good…"

"Are you _kidding?_" Brooke asked with a laugh, pulling away and glancing down Haley's body. "You're still skinny as a rail. So you're just a few weeks along?" Her eyes widened as something occurred to her. "Oh my God! Maybe it will be a girl, and then you'll have one of each! Plus, I think it's so sweet for a little girl to have a big brother!"

Just rolling her eyes, Haley knew Brooke well enough to know she'd have to let her live out this little fantasy version of her life before the brunette would calm down. She sat back, waiting for it to sink in for Brooke.

"Aww, you can put her in cute little dresses and bonnets- but don't pierce her ears, please, because that just seems so mean! Like if a kid wants extra holes in their body, they should be able to choose it, you know?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, Brooke."

"And you totally know Nathan's going to be awesome with a little gi-" She broke off suddenly, and Haley knew the other girl had finally processed the problem. "Well… this will change things, right?"

Haley nodded slightly, squeezing her hands together. "Yeah. It's going to have to. I mean, it is his baby, so…"

"Well, then that's a good thing, right, Haley?" Brooke shrugged. "I mean, you were saying you guys wanted this for so long, and it's just what you need to fix things. The timing's almost perfect! You can tell Nathan, and you guys can make things work. I mean, having a new baby on the way is the perfect motivation for that sort of thing, right? Nothing says we need to try again like a new baby."

"No, Brooke, I don't think so. I don't think that's how it's going to go down," Haley said softly, running her fingers through her hair as she looked at her friend. "Nathan and I… we have real problems. A pregnancy and another kid isn't going to solve them. It might put them on hold, but that's about it."

Brooke frowned, cocking her head to the side as she tried to understand what Haley was saying. "So you aren't going to try to make things work with him? You really want to do this single mom thing, Haley? Are you sure?"

Haley let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. "I don't _want_ to, Brooke. I have to. Being pregnant doesn't change the past. It doesn't change that Nathan cheated on me or that we couldn't communicate. It doesn't change everything that was _wrong_ in our relationship. It's not a magic fix, and if I try to get back together with him, just because I'm pregnant, all that's going to happen is we're going to end up hating each other, Brooke. And I don't want that. I don't want that for me, for him, and I definitely don't want that for James or the new baby."

Brooke was quiet for a minute, and then she slowly nodded. "Alright, I see that. I don't necessarily agree, but it's your body and your pregnancy and your marriage, so I can appreciate it." She shrugged, giving Haley a weak smile. "You still have to tell him, though, Haley. He's gonna find out eventually, and it would be kind of awkward if it was a call from the delivery room."

Giving Brooke a small nod, Haley sighed. She knew her friend was right, after all, even if it wasn't going to be easy.

…………

"We used to talk about it, you know," Peyton told Jake as she reached behind her back and attempted to clasp a strand of pearls around her neck. "Me and my dad, about death. Is that morbid?"

Jake stepped forward, helping her with the clasp in silence, and shrugged. "I don't think so. You experienced a lot of death at a young age, Peyton, so it makes sense it would come up. I know I'd want Jenny to know about it if we were in that situation. I wouldn't want her confused."

Peyton nodded, smiling slightly as she looked at their reflections in the mirror. "Yeah, that's basically what my dad used to say when people were shocked when I'd bring it up. He'd say that my mom was dead, and he'd rather me know the truth about it than let my imagination make it something so much worse." When Jake didn't say anything, she continued, "When I was little, I assumed he'd want his ashes scattered at sea, like we'd done with my grandpa. My grandpa was a sailor- he loved being on the water."

"But he didn't," Jake assumed, given that they'd soon be looking down on his body in a coffin. It was a reasonable deduction.

Peyton gave him a small nod, confirming this. "Yeah. He said he'd missed too much of my mom's life being at sea and he wanted to be in the ground, next to her, in death. He said he wanted to be somewhere I could see him, because I hadn't been able to see him enough when he was out on the boat."

"I appreciate that. Your dad was away a lot, but it always seemed like you guys had a good relationship when he'd be around." Jake shrugged, studying her in the mirror. "I think it will be good for you in a way to have a place to go to talk to him. I mean, I guess you could do that with the ocean, but it's… kind of big."

Letting out a dry laugh, Peyton nodded. "Yeah… it kind of is." She turned her head to the side, giving him a more genuine smile as she studied him. "You clean up well, Jake Jagielski."

"And so do you, Peyton Sawyer," he returned with an easygoing smile, glancing down at his watch. "You're supposed to be at the funeral home an hour early, right? I should probably make sure Jenny's almost ready and then we can take off, alright?"

Peyton nodded, her eyes searching for a minute. "Thank you," she whispered quietly, her expression growing serious. "For being here for me. I know it can't be easy with an eight year old to just pick up and fly in."

Jake nodded, wrapping his arms around Peyton and giving her a kiss on the forehead. "You don't have to thank me, Peyton. God knows you've been there for me plenty in the past."

"Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that what you're doing for me right now is really nice," Peyton mumbled, pulling away from Jake after a minute. "Alright, you go check on Jenny. I just have to finish my makeup and figure out how the hell these shoes Brooke picked out are supposed to go on and then we can get going?"

Jake laughed, nodding before leaving her bedroom, going down the hall toward the room he and Jenny had been sharing.

………….

Nathan had just finished making James a rather messy peanut butter and jelly sandwich, never much of a cook, when there was a knock at the door. Frowning a little, he crossed the room, grimacing as he smeared peanut butter on the door handle while opening it.

In the hallway stood Rebecca, her blonde hair hanging in delicate waves around her heart shaped face, wearing more makeup than he'd seen her wear at work, in a burgundy dress that would look modest on anyone else, but hung to her hourglass curves like a glove.

"…Hey," he greeted her in confusion, glancing behind her to see if she'd brought along a date. "Is something wrong?"

She stared at him for a minute, frowning. "You did say tonight, right?" she asked after a long moment, glancing over his shoulder into his apartment. "For the wake?"

"Huh?" Nathan furrowed his brow, trying to figure out what she was talking about. "Oh… Peyton's dad's wake? Yeah, but I changed my mind. I'm not gonna go since I have James. I meant to call you."

Rebecca just shook her head, brushing past him into the apartment without an invitation and glancing around. "This girl's been your friend since you were what, 14?" she asked after a minute, rolling her eyes. "_And_ her dad didn't kill you even though from what you've told me, you treated all girls before Haley like crap, so that would include Peyton?"

Nathan winced, but gave her a resigned nod. "Yeah…"

"Then we're going. We don't have to stay long, and I think she'd understand that given that you have a five year old you're going to need to put to bed and stuff, but it's the right thing to do. Your friend's father died, and you're going to go to support her, not sit here moping in your apartment just because you're scared to see Haley."

"I didn't say I was scared," Nathan protested, but he knew it would fall on deaf ears. "I just… yeah, I know I upset her the other day and I don't see the point in going there if my presence is just going to upset her more."

Rebecca snickered, looking him up and down. "You really will come up with every excuse in the book, huh? Get dressed. You only need to stay long enough to go in, give your friend a hug, tell her you're sorry for the loss, and make some excuse about needing to get James home."

"I don't know, Rebecca. I really don't think it's a good idea. I think I should just stay in, and plus, James is already-"

"I didn't ask you what you thought," Rebecca said evenly, bringing her hands to her hips. "You're getting divorced, Nathan. Like I've pointed out a gazillion times before, that wouldn't necessarily be the case if you'd suck up your pride and talk to your wife. But you won't, so you don't have room to complain or play the victim. You're going to this thing tonight because I say so, and because I'm not going to let you lose all your friends and the respect you've gained in this community in one night just because you're feeling bad for yourself."

Nathan opened his mouth to protest but he could tell from Rebecca's expression that there wasn't a point. "_Fine_," he muttered with a resigned sigh, heading toward the bedroom to get himself and James ready.

……………

"You know, it's kind of lame that I'm only in town for a week and you _live_ here but I have cuter clothes appropriate for a funeral with me than you own," Brooke told Haley with a laugh as she led her into her hotel room, gesturing to the closet.

"Yeah, but you've always been the fashionista of the group. I'm the ugly poncho girl, remember?" Haley returned with a small smile, glancing over at Brooke. "So what do you suggest I wear?"

Brooke snickered a little. "Oh, I definitely remember." Swinging open the closet doors, she glanced inside, frowning a little. "Something cute and something tight. You only have a few weeks left with that body at best, right?"

Haley frowned, glancing down at her flat stomach with a sigh. "Yeah, I guess," she mumbled hesitantly, not wanting to be reminded of the ever ticking clock that was her body. She didn't want to think about having to tell Nathan about her pregnancy, at least not yet. "But remember I'm still a _mom_, Brooke, and a pregnant one at that."

"Moms can still look hot," Brooke pointed out with a pout, searching through her closet and eventually pulling out a knee length maroon dress. "A ha! I think this will really flatter you, Haley. Here, try it on."

Reaching out for the dress, Haley studied it, admittedly impressed. She'd expected something more flashy from Brooke, but this was pretty much the kind of thing she'd admire in the window of a boutique and then remember she only had so much money and still had to buy groceries and supplies for James' school project.

"I think we should pull your hair back, too," Brooke was saying, studying Haley with a critical gaze. "You wear it down too much. You have a pretty face and you really should show it off. I swear the minute you had James, you decided you weren't worth anything anymore. You're allowed to be a mom and still treat yourself every once in a while, Haley James soon to be ex Scott."

Haley winced slightly at how casually Brooke said her name like that, shrugging out of the dress she'd put on earlier that night and slipping into the one Brooke had selected. As much as she tried, she couldn't get used to the idea that her marriage was coming to an end.

Her wince wasn't missed by Brooke. "You know," the brunette woman said softly, giving Haley a small smile as she zipped the dress up for her. "You don't _have_ to be Haley James soon to be ex Scott. You could fight for your man, or at the very least, actually talk to him."

"I don't want to know the details, Brooke," Haley admitted softly, lapsing into silence for a minute as Brooke stepped closer and started playing with Haley's hair. After a minute, she added, "It's hard enough to know he's cheating on me. I don't want to hear when or how often or where, you know? I don't want to _know_ if Rebecca is the first or the last in a string of many. Sometimes it's better not to know."

Brooke frowned, leaning forward and resting her head on Haley's shoulder as she turned her slightly so she was looking in the mirror. "That's not true, and we both know it. Because as much as you say it's better not to know, even _I_ can tell it's tearing you up inside, and I haven't exactly been the best friend to you these past five years."

Haley sighed, studying her reflection in the mirror as Brooke went back to doing her hair. "Alright, yeah, I can't stop wondering and I know my imagination- that I'm probably coming up with worse scenarios than what actually went down. But I don't want _any_ of it confirmed, Brooke. I'd rather live with the questions than know beyond a doubt that the affair happened."

"I think that's silly," Brooke said simply, giving Haley a small shrug. "I mean, if you aren't willing to ask, how do you know it happened at _all?_ If there's even a doubt, you owe it to yourself and to your marriage and to your family to make sure he actually cheated."


End file.
